Year One, The Trial of Shadows
by cypsiman2
Summary: A young duelist named Judai Yuki makes his way to enter into the prestigious Duel Academia, but in time he will discover that not all is what it seems, and he and his new friends may be dueling for more then just the chance for glory. Alternate Universe.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: Just a little bit of information that didn't quite fit into the summary; this is based primarily off the yugioh gx manga, which is very different from the yugioh gx anime. Nevertheless, some elements of the anime that I liked or feel had potential will be incorporated into the story. Furthermore, I will ocasionally make referrence to my "Rebirth of the Shadow Games" stories, but I will identify them in footnotes at the ends of the chapters that they appear in. Also, two characters will be genderswapped from their canon genders. It shouldn't be hard to figure out who they are. Finally, as for pairings, I'm planning on Judai/Asuka, Momoe/Junko, and Manjoume/Fubuki. But, that's enough out of me, on to the story.

The Dropout Boy Drops In!

Professor Chronos De Medici was smiling as he looked over the newly accepted students of Duel Academia; the previous year's applicants were very disappointing, as most of them only just qualified for the Osiris Red Dorm, and most of them ended up dropping out by the end of the first semester. But Chronos could see that this crop was different; Asuka Tenjouin was the younger sister of Fubuki Tenjouin, and Jun Manjoume was from the prestigious Manjoume family, famed for its charity works around the globe, so it was no surprise that those two entered the Obelisk Blue dorms. Daichi Misawa was easily the top of all the applicants accepted into Ra Yellow, and what little he lacked in practical dueling skills he more then made up in his abstract skills. The only hiccup that Chronos could find was Shou Marufuji, who despite being the younger brother of Ryoko Marufuji had some of the lowest scores in the history of Duel Academia; clearly this was a fluke. Still, now was the time to welcome to their glorious new lives

"WAIT! I STILL NEED TO DO MY APPLICATION DUEL!" Chronos De Medici jerked his head around as he looked to the source of the insubordinate noise. Who could possibly be so rude as to interrupt such an important ceremony among duelists; these were the thoughts running through Chronos' head as the boy came running into the dueling arena. Once he crossed the boundary, he stopped to catch his breath. Chronos stepped in front of the boy, and waited for him to look up.

"Young man, you'd better have good reason for why you've interrupted the induction ceremony; we duelists are a proud lot, and we do not tolerate interlopers." The boy looked at Chronos, and started giggling.

"Man, I was worried I'd managed to run into the wrong place. Imagine how embarrassed I'd be if this were a regular High School, right? Still, now that I'm here we can get started on my application duel. So, who's my opponent? Whoever it is, I hope they're strong!" Chronos couldn't believe the arrogance of the boy; he barges in, interrupts the ceremony, and now he's demanding a duel! Chronos heard the whispering of his new students, and knew that he would have to take control right now.

"Listen, dropout boy, if you wanted to become a duelist you should have gotten here on time! As it is, your rude and insubordinate behavior do not merit being given a second chance." As far as Professor Chronos De Medici was concerned, that should have been the end of it, and it would have been too, had it not been for the appearance of his associate, as announced by the impertinent boy.

"Miss Hibiki! It's been forever!" How did this boy know Professor Midori Hibiki? It was inconceivable! In fact, it looked like the boy was about to hug her, and only just remembered proper decorum.

"Judai, it's good to see you too. Now be honest, you overslept again, right?" As inconceivable as this 'Judai' knowing Hibiki was, the reverse was even more so. Judai started laughing again.

"Yeah. I really didn't mean to, but I was so excited about today I couldn't get any sleep last night. But I'm all fired up now and ready to…" Judai paused as he absorbed what the strange looking professor had told him. "It's not really too late for my application duel, is it?" Professor Hibiki gave Judai a warm smile.

"Of course not; Professor Chronos, would you please contact the entry examiners and have one of them come back?"

"That won't be necessary, Professor Hibiki! I, Professor Chronos De Medici, will handle this myself!" Seemingly from out of nowhere, Chronos produced a dueling coat and placed his deck into the appropriate slot. "Dropout boy, I will make sure that you learn the penalty for tardiness, laziness, and attempting to use nepotism to get around the rules." Judai had only one thing to say in response.

"Huh?"

* * *

Judai was the first to admit that he thought on his feet and not with his head, but it still seemed like Professor Chronos went out of his way to use much bigger words than he had to. Still, watching the professor draw his cards, he could definitely feel an aura of power coming from the odd looking man.

"Dropout boy, since you were so eager for this duel, you may go first." All right! Now was the chance for Judai to show the world what he was made of!

"I draw my card, and next I summon Elemental Hero Lady Heat." A woman with a lean build and light red hair appeared before Judai, clad in white and red with gold accessories. She had an attack power of 1300 and a defense of 1000. "Next I set two cards, and during my end phase Elemental Hero Lady Heat's effect activates; for every Elemental Hero on my side of the field, you take two-hundred points of damage." The heroine gathered a small ball of fire in her hands and tossed it at Chronos for 200 points of damage. "Now my turn is over."

"Wow, Judai did damage on the first turn! Isn't that incredible Mr. Misawa." A short, blue haired boy dressed in Osiris Red addressed a tall boy with sharp black hair dressed in Ra Yellow.

"Well, there are several ways to deal damage on the first turn, but I'll admit it surprises me that this guy could do one of them. He might be someone to pay attention to."

Judai looked over at his soon to be classmates and flashed them a smile.

"Thanks guys! I'll be sure to win this one for you all!" Chronos glowered at Judai as he drew his card.

"Don't be so presumptuous, Dropout boy. You may have gotten a lucky pot shot off, but that's all you're going to get! First I summon Boot-Up Soldier Dread Dynamo." A brown robot with a large gap in its body and a smaller gear shaped gap within it appeared on the field. Most of the audience was confused that Chronos had summoned the monster in attack mode, since it had a 0 attack power and 2000 defense power. But for Midori and a few select others, they knew what was coming up. "Next I play Machine Duplication, which allows me to special summon two more Dread Dynamos from my deck to the field." The first robot was joined by two identical partners, a veritable wall of machinery. "And now I play Double summon, which allows me to perform an additional normal summon, which I use to bring Yellow Gadget onto the field." A strange Yellow Robot with large gears sticking out the sides of its body appeared, and rushed to each of its companions, jamming a gear into the gear shaped gaps.

"Woah, what's that little one doing to the big ones?" Chronos waved his finger at Judai while tsk-tsking the boy.

"Do you really have no idea, do you dropout boy? While Dread Dynamo normally has a zero attack power, when a gadget monster is on the field the Dread Dynamos gain two-thousand attack points! Furthermore, by summoning Yellow Gadget, I can add Green Gadget to my hand. Not that it matters, since this duel is already over. And to make sure that you understand that you never stood a chance against me, I play Limiter Removal to double the attack power of all my machines!" Electric sparks started to run across all the robots, and while they didn't look like they would last for much longer, their new-found strength meant they didn't have to.

"Well, it looks like the new guy isn't going to win this one. I guess Professor Chronos really had it in for him. What do you think, Asuka?" The black haired boy, proudly dressed in Obelisk Blue, turned to the blonde girl next to him. She was looking intently at the eager duelist, who faced his enemy without any fear.

"If he is doomed, he sure doesn't seem to know it. Let's wait for the rest of the turn to play out before passing judgment, Manjoume." The black haired boy nodded at Asuka as Judai looked over at her.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence…" His voice trailed off; He'd seen the Obelisk Blue girl somewhere before, but damn if he could remember from where.

"Dropout boy, you might want to get your head back in the game; after all, it's not every day you get delivered such a devastating defeat! Dread Dynamo, attack Elemental Hero Lady Heat!" Dread Dynamo smashed through Lady Heat, who turned to ash as she died, and the robots fist carried through into Judai, knocking him back for 2700 points of damage. But rather then be discouraged, Judai was smiling.

"Wow Professor Chronos, you're really strong! Duel Academia must be really tough." Chronos chortled at the young boy.

"You've no idea, and you never will. Attack him directly, my second Dread Dynamo!" As the second robot rushed towards Judai, he welcomed it with a grin.

"I activate my facedown card, The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh and special summon Winged Kuriboh from my deck to the field." A tiny fur ball of a creature with even tinier wings showed up. Dread Dynamo struck the Winged Kuriboh with a fist that was larger than its entire body, but something kept the blow from connecting with Judai. "It's Winged Kuriboh's effect; when he gets destroyed in battle, I suffer no more battle damage for the rest of the turn." There was a loud gasping sound from the assembled students, with the lone exception of a certain young lady dressed in blue.

"So he has Winged Kuriboh?" Asuka whispered this beneath her breath, making sure that no one would hear her. She didn't have to, since Chronos was drawing all the attention to himself.

"You might think that you've pulled one over me, but that's where you're wrong. I activate my spell card Confiscation; by paying one thousand life points, I get to look through your hand and force you to discard one card of my choice." Judai's hand was now recreated in giant holograms that allowed everyone to see what his cards were; Elemental Hero Woodsman, Elemental Hero Stratos, and Elemental Hero Ice Edge. Professor Chronos formed a sinister smile on his face.

"Very well; I choose Elemental Hero Ice Edge. Then I set one card, and end my turn." The moment the words left his mouth, all his machines exploded, leaving his field empty.

"I can't believe that Professor Chronos is letting Judai get to him like this." Hibiki thought that she'd been speaking to herself, but a sudden voice revealed that someone had been listening.

"Really? I'm not that surprised; you know how he gets when someone proves him wrong, and even though your Judai hasn't won yet, he's certainly no dropout boy." Professor Midori Hibiki looked over at Professor Daitokuji; this wasn't the first time that the man had seemingly appeared from out of nowhere, but it was still unnerving. Of course, the effect was ruined by the fat tabby cat that he had with him at all times.

"My turn, draw!" Judai called out, drawing all attention back to him. "Now I summon Elemental Hero Stratos to the field!" A man in a sleek suit of futuristic armor that featured large metallic wings with powerful fans built into them flew onto the field. "And now I activate his first effect to destroy one spell or trap for every Elemental Hero I have on the field." Chronos laughed, a loud harsh sound.

"As interesting as that would be, you won't get to, because summoning that brute activated my trap card, Trap Hole, which sends your monster to the grave before he can activate his effect." Judai smiled right back at the professor.

"But not before I chain my trap to yours! I activate Elemental Recharge, which lets me recover one thousand life points for each Elemental Hero on the field, and that's not all! Because we started a chain, I can special summon Winged Kuriboh Level Nine from my hand." As Elemental Hero was sucked down into the grave, he launched a burst of energy at Judai, rejuvenating him of some of the damage he'd taken, and the moment that the Trap Hole sealed itself, Winged Kuriboh appeared on the field, now clad in red armor. "Winged Kuriboh Level Nine's attack power is equal to the number of spell cards that you have in the grave times five hundred, so that makes fifteen-hundred points of direct damage headed your way!" The tiny creature seemed to squeal as it attacked, knocking Chronos back several steps with a swipe of its claw. "End turn." Chronos returned to his previous position and sneered at the boy.

"You were really lucky to draw that card when you did. But while luck might win a battle, it takes skill to win the war that is known as a duel. I won't let some dropout boy like you sully the good name of dueling. Draw!" Chronos looked down at his card, and smiled. "You see boy, I've allowed you to think that I'm vulnerable to open you up for this assault. First I summon Green Gadget, adding Red Gadget to my hand, and next I activate Premature Burial, allowing me to special summon a monster from the grave at the cost of eight hundred life points. The monster I choose is, of course, Dread Dynamo!" As the fallen machine clawed its way from the grave, Green Gadget assisted it back up, and gave it a power boost once again. "Dread Dynamo, destroy that eyesore! Green Gadget, attack directly!" Between the assaults of the two machines, Judai was left with only 400 life points to Professor Chronos' 500. "That will be all for this turn."

"So much for Judai's comeback; I guess that boy will have to give up on being a professional duelist, right Momoe?" Her companion, a fellow girl clad in Ra Yellow, smiled at her friend.

"Absolutely Junko. It's a real shame too, since this could have been history in the making. Plus, he is sort of cute, if you look at him just right."

"My turn, draw!" So beating Chronos would be history in the making? All right! Judai just wanted to duel a strong opponent, and he lucked out into one who'd help him become a legend, just like Yuugi Mutou! "I now summon Elemental Hero Woodsman in defense mode, and then I set one card to end my turn." Elemental Hero Woodsman was a large green skinned man whose right arm and leg appeared to be made of old hard wood.

"Stalling tactics, eh boy? Not very impressive, especially in the face of my latest card; I now sacrifice Green Gadget and Dread Dynamo in order to summon Ancient Gear Gadjitron Dragon!" As the two machines fell apart, a new monster descended onto the field, a dragon-like creature made of old fashioned gears, wire frame, and metal. Despite its decrepit form, the machine had 3000 attack points. "And don't think that being in defense mode will help you, dropout boy. When Green Gadget is sacrificed to Ancient Gear Gadjitron Dragon, his attack penetrates your defense. Say goodbye to your life as a duelist!" The mechanical dragon roared and breathed out a stream of green corrosive force at the hero.

"I activate my trap card, Hero Barrier, negating your attack!" Chronos scoffed at the boy.

"So you've bought yourself another turn; it doesn't matter though. It would take a miracle for you to win against me at this point." The crowd was silent, watching intently as Judai drew his next card; although most of them hadn't believed that Judai could win against Professor Chronos when the duel started, now there was no telling how this duel would turn out.

"First I activate Elemental Hero Woodsman's effect, allowing me to add Fusion from my deck to my hand. Next, I activate my spell card Graceful Charity, which allows me to draw three cards, so long as I discard two afterwards." He looked over the three cards, and sent Elemental Heroes Voltic and Knospe to the grave. "Now I activate Fifth Hope. By returning five Elemental Heroes from the grave to my deck, I can draw two more cards." Judai looked at the cards he just drew and let out a cheer. "All right, I've won! Now I play fusion, combining my Elemental Hero Woodsman with my Elemental Hero Ocean to fusion summon Elemental Hero Earth!" For a moment Elemental Hero Ocean appeared on the field, a blue skinned man with a shark's fin on his head and wielding a lance in his hands. As the two other heroes vanished, a towering figure crashed onto the field, rising up to well more then ten feet tall. It had skin made of sheer white stone, with purple gemstones on its shoulders and head, and a red one on its chest. It also possessed spikes on its hips and shoulders.

"So you have that card do you? It doesn't matter though, since with only twenty-five hundred attack points it still isn't strong enough to defeat my Ancient Gear Gadjitron Dragon!"

"Right now it isn't, but here's the miracle you said I'd need, or should I say Miracle Fusion! By removing from play Elemental Hero Ocean and Elemental Hero Woodsman in my grave, I can fusion summon another Elemental Hero Earth. And by sacrificing the second Elemental Hero Earth to the first, he gains attack power equal to the second Elemental Hero!" As the second Elemental Hero Earth vanished, the first began to glow like magma was flowing through its veins, and it removed the spikes on its hips, revealing that they were the hilts for magma swords. Now possessing 5000 attack points, it cut the wings off of the mechanical dragon, dealing more then enough damage to defeat Chronos, who only narrowly avoided getting hit by the remnants of his monster.

"And you said that this would be boring, Ryoko. See, that kid just defeated Professor Chronos, and that doesn't happen very often." The brown haired senior looked over at his companion, a woman with teal blue hair.

"He might have potential, but it'll take more then one duel to reveal just how far he can go, Fubuki."

"You…YOu…YOU…" Professor Chronos was fuming, and that was when Professor Midori came over to Judai and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"I knew you could do it Judai! Now you're on your way to making your dream come true. Now why don't you go over to your classmates and introduce yourself." As Judai went over to the others, Professor Chronos marched over to Hibiki.

"Did you slip that boy powerful cards to give him an edge? It's obvious you two know each other from somewhere, and we both know how rare Elemental Hero Earth is! The only person I've ever heard of who even had those cards was…" Hibiki acknowledged the look of realization in Chronos' eyes with a nod.

"Kouyou Hibiki, my brother. He gave his deck to Judai shortly before retiring. And as for how we knew him, we were friends of the family and used to baby sit for him, and we've come to think of him as a little brother. So please, try not to go too out of your way to make things difficult for Judai."

"Yes, of course."

As for Judai, he'd just finished introducing himself to Shou Marufuji, who'd instantly taken to calling him bro, and to Daichi Misawa, who'd regarded him as a "potential rival of great potential", and even to Jun Manjoume, whose sum contribution to the conversation was that he would enjoy crushing judai. When it came to Asuka however, Judai found himself staring at her, more certain then before that he had seen her from somewhere before.

Now, as he was digging through his memory, Asuka sighed internally. She was afraid of this; yet another boy was convinced that he was in love with her, and she had no doubt the next thing that came out of Judai's mouth would be a request for a date.

"I've got it! You're the girl from the brochure. I think the reason I had such a hard time realizing it was because your uniform doesn't look anything like the one on the brochure." Asuka opened her eyes wide in disbelief.

"What brochure?" Judai put up one finger as he reached into his back pocket and produced a Duel Academia brochure, the front of which had a prominent picture of one Asuka Tenjouin.

"This brochure, see?" He handed it to her, and for a moment she glared at it, like she had a special ability where all she had to was to look at something to destroy it. Then her face turned soft and gentle, along with her voice.

"Fubuki, could you come over here a minute; there's something I wanted to talk to you about." Almost immediately a brown haired senior came bounding from the back of the crowd, his face full of light and joy.

"Yes my darling sister? Have you perhaps fallen for what may be Duel Academia's newest rising star?" Ignoring his question, she shoved the brochure into his face and offered a question of her own.

"Fubuki, there's no doubt in my mind that you're responsible for this…thing! What I want to know is what you were thinking? This uniform you have me wearing looks less like a school uniform and more like something one of the girls from your magazines would wear." She had a point; the uniform on the brochure had among its features ankleboots, a distressingly small miniskirt, and a tight sleeveless shirt that while flesh concealing served to emphasize the figure in a way that only occurred in poorly made anime. This was all in contrast to the actual uniform, which aside from having a slightly lighter coloration was just like the male uniform.

"Well, you know those guys at the graphics department; you tell them to touch up the picture a little, and they completely morph it into something else. Believe me, I would never let anything like this happen if I'd known they would go this far."

"Is that so? Well, then you should have no problem requesting a recall for the brochures, yes? If you can't handle it on your own, I can ask Professor Hibiki to help you."

"No! I mean, I can handle this myself. There's no need to get Professor Midori Hibiki involved." Fubuki walked away with the brochure, and those nearby could swear they heard him muttering something about "yet another wasted opportunity to get her a boyfriend."

And how did Judai regard this scene between Asuka and Fubuki? He thought it was very funny how different they were from Kouyou and Hibiki, and he knew that he was going to have a great time at Duel Academia!


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note: Okay, I said that there are two gender-swaps in my story, but there are in fact three. Hopefully that won't be a problem. Also, you may notice that I'll make up cards or use different rulings for existing cards, but hopefully these will make the duels more exciting and interesting. That said, enjoy the story, and please leave a review when you're done reading it.

The Duelist Who Wields Light and Darkness!

"I would like to welcome everyone to Duel Academia, the most prestigious gathering of duelists in the world!" Principal Samejima was a striking presence on the stage; at well over two meters tall she was easily the tallest person on the entire island that Duel Academia was built on. "Whether you're an Obelisk Blue, a Ra Yellow, or an Osiris Red, you are all Duelists and as such you share the common bond of battle that will see you through not only your careers, but your whole lives! It is the goal of this institution that you will learn to see the art of the Duel as a means to an end; that end being, of course, being that you will forge such bonds of friendship that you will be able to overcome all obstacles. And now, to show the proof of what I speak of, I would like to present to you all the best students in the history of Duel Academia, Fubuki Tenjouin and Ryoko Marufuji!"

There was a great cheering from the crowd; some cried out to Fubuki, calling him "Fubuking!" While others cried out to Ryoko, calling her "Kaiser!" All in all, Judai was just slightly worried that the screaming and squealing would deafen him; only slightly, since he was not only seeing the two most famed duelists of Duel Academia, but also the elder siblings of his new friends.

Fubuki took to the stage like someone who was born to it, glowing under the admiration of his loyal fans, while Ryoko seemed bored with the whole thing. The two third year Obelisk Blue students couldn't have been a greater exercise in contrast, not only with each other but their younger siblings.

"I have something I'd like to say to everyone; first of all, I'd like to thank all the lovely young ladies who've decided that they would take up the challenging life of the duelist. After all, the monsters we summon shouldn't eclipse the duelists, am I right?" Most of the girls in the audience squealed, with Asuka being the lone exception; she was rubbing her head in what struck Judai as an act of habit. "You know that I'm right; after all, you only need look at my friend Ryoko to see the proof! Come on Ryoko, say something!" Ryoko sighed, but she took the microphone from Fubuki all the same.

"In his own way, Fubuki is right. For a truly great duelist, everything of the duel, from the deck that they choose to each move they make, is a reflection of their soul. Therefore, the true duelist can shine brighter then even the most powerful monster. I look forward to seeing which of you can achieve that status." Evidently Ryoko had decided she'd had enough of being on the stage, and unceremoniously tossed the microphone back to Fubuki before departing.

"I know, I know, she might seem a bit serious and off putting…" Fubuki suddenly started looking wistfully off into the distance before resuming his speech, "but I wouldn't trade her for anyone in the world!" He bowed, and received an enthusiastic cheering before joining Ryoko. Samejima stepped forward and resumed speaking.

"Now then, your professors shall guide you to your respective dorms; Professor Chronos De Medici shall guide the Obelisk Blue Students, Professor Midori Hibiki will guide the Ra Yellow students, and Professor Daitokuji will guide the Osiris Red students. Classes will begin in two days, so take this time to get to know one another. Until then!"

* * *

"So everyone, what do you think of the Osiris Red Dorm?" Judai and Shou looked at the building that Professor Daitokuji had brought them to; they had to admit it could have been worse. It could have been some tiny, rundown shack with a leaky roof. That said, they both figured that the Ra Yellow and Obelisk Blue dorms would have much better accommodations.

"Well, at least we'll be getting lots of fresh air." Judai offered this to the professor, who then lifted his cat up to look him in the eye.

"You see Pharaoh? I told you that Judai would like the dorms. Now apologize to him, right now." Daitokuji pushed the fat tabby cat into Judai's face, and it meowed while patting his face with its paw.

"Umm, no hard feelings Pharaoh. Really." Pharaoh meowed again, and the cat leapt out of Daitokuji's arms to go to the Dorm. Daitokuji chased after his cat, and Judai, Shou, and the other Osiris Red students followed behind. Upon entering the dorm, they were greeted by the second and third year students, and it seemed that the main topic of conversation was how they were going to find room for everyone. Before long there was a cacophony of noise as bartering for room space began in earnest. Each time Judai and Shou approached someone, another pair of first years had beaten them to the punch, and before long it seemed that there was no room left in the Osiris Red dorm for them.

"Professor Daitokuji, there's got to be someone here who has room for us." Shou pleaded to the man who'd finally retrieved his cat. He looked at Judai and Shou very intently.

"Well, there is one person left, but I don't think it would be a good idea."

"Come on Professor, Bro and I need a place to stay!"

"All right, but you're going to have to tell her yourselves. She's over in room three-fourteen." Daitokuji then dashed off into the kitchen to put the finishing touches on the meal for the dorm.

"Come on Bro, let's go meet…her? The professor did misspeak, right?" Judai shrugged his shoulders at Shou.

"Maybe it's one of those girly looking guys. Professor Daitokuji does look like the kind of guy who'd make that mistake."

Upon reaching room 314, they discovered that no, Daitokuji had not misspoken, nor was he confused about the gender of its occupant. No one could be, for while she wasn't the kind of girl that songs were sung about, statues were sculpted of, or portraits painted of, there was no ambiguity to her gender.

"What do you two want? I'm trying to catch up on last semester's homework, so make it quick." The girl glared at them across the bridge of a rather large nose, and the harsh look in her eyes left Shou silent. They had no such effect on Judai.

"Hi, I'm Judai, and this is Shou. We're new students here, and all the other rooms are full, so Professor Daitokuji said that we should ask you. What's your name?" In addition to sticking his arm out for a handshake, Judai had a rather large, goofy grin on his face, one that was disarming the girl of her anger.

"I'm Hayako Maeda, and so long as we get some ground rules down, I suppose I can let you guys stay here. For now, until the others start dropping out. Then you can get other rooms and I can have this one back to myself."

"All right! Did you hear that Shou, she'll let us stay here!" Despite Judai's infectious cheer, Shou still had a look of doubt in his eyes.

"Hayako, what did you mean, about the others dropping out?" Hayako sighed.

"Well, last year a whole bunch of people dropped out, so it'll probably happen again this year. Anyway, first and most important rule; when I'm getting changed, you two are to wait outside the room until I tell you otherwise. I've definitely got a few more rules in mind, but Daitokuji's ringing the dinner bell, so that will have to wait." The large girl ran right past them, and Judai was about to join her when he heard a sudden ringing coming from his coat pocket. He pulled out the offending object, a small plastic device that bore the Duel Academia logo just like the uniform.

"Bro, aren't you going to answer your DA PDA?"

"My what?" Shou sighed, opened up the device, and pushed the call receiving button. "Thanks Shou." Judai looked at the image that the device projected; it was Jun Manjoume.

"Judai, meet me down by the docks, and make sure that you bring witnesses that you can trust to our duel." Manjoume ended the call without even saying goodbye, but all Judai could thank about was that he just got a challenge from Manjoume, and from he'd heard on the boat trip over to the island, Manjoume was supposed to be really good. This was going to be awesome! But first, eating!

* * *

"Where is he? I would have thought that he'd be here already." Manjoume was pacing; he wasn't used to being forced to wait, and what little he was doing now didn't endear him to the concept.

"Sir Manjoume, why do you care so much about this Osiris Red punk? So he beat Professor Chronos, so what? It was a lucky fluke." Manjoume stopped pacing, but he didn't turn to address his fellow Obelisk Blue.

"First of all, Takuma, how can you really know that? After all, if you didn't know any better you might think of me as a spoiled rich kid, and you know that nothing could be further from the truth. And second, if that's how you feel, why did you agree to witness the duel?" Takuma shrugged his shoulders.

"To be honest, I wanted to see what your ace was. For me, this is a chance to find out all your weaknesses."

"Is that so? Very well then." Jun Manjoume turned around to face Takuma and brought his Duel Disc into battle position. "Since Judai isn't here yet, we should have enough time for a duel of our own, second year Obelisk Blue Hidekazu Takuma!"

* * *

"Whoa, what is that bro?" When Judai and Shou had finally arrived at the docks, only to find that Manjoume was already dueling with another Obelisk Blue, and the monster hovering before Manjoume was like none that they'd ever seen before; It looked like two dragons that had been grafted together, with one side light and angelic, while the other was dark and demonic.

"Light and Darkness Dragon, attack Alien Warrior with Shining Breath!" There were two monsters opposing the dragon; one was a large reptilian creature with many gemstones embedded in its body, while the other was a much taller four armed variant on the same design.

"Fool! I activate A Cell Scatter Burst to sacrifice Alien Warrior and add four Alien counters to your monster!" But despite the Obelisk Blue's declaration, while the smaller alien vanished, the Alien Counters never manifested.

"It's useless Takuma! Light and Darkness Dragon will tolerate no effects, even if it costs her her attack points! Now my dragon, attack his Alien Mother with Dark Baptism!" The two monsters, now equal in strength, died together. But it was not the end, for a new monster now appeared on Manjoume's field; it was a humanoid dragon wielding a large axe.

"Axe Dragonute, attack his life points directly!" With nothing to protect himself, Takuma lost all his remaining 2000 life points, and he was knocked back by the dragon's force.

"That monster…" Manjoume stood over Takuma, towering over the defeated duelist.

"I have to say Takuma, that whoever recommended you to Obelisk Blue should be highly disappointed with themselves." It was then that Manjoume noticed the arrival of Judai and Shou. "And now it would seem that I won't need your service as a witness after all, so you may leave now." Takuma left without saying a word, ignoring Judai and Shou. Judai then rushed up to Manjoume, excitement infusing his very being.

"Wow, that was an incredible duel! How'd you do all that stuff with the negating and the special summoning and all that?" Manjoume took a moment to look over Judai, as though sizing him up.

"Well, if you survive long enough against me, you might just learn for yourself." Then he turned to Shou, and his eyes opened wide.

"Sir Manjoume?" The words escaped Shou's lips involuntarily.

"You must be the Kaiser's younger brother. Pay very close attention to this duel, for you will learn a great deal of what it means to be a true duelist." Shou nodded, and moved to where he'd be able to best observe the duel. Then Judai and Manjoume moved into position, shuffled their decks, and armed their Duel Discs.

"All right Manjoume, I'm ready when you are!" Manjoume smirked.

"Of course. Draw! I set one monster and one card, and end my turn." An unknown guarding an unknown; Judai would have to be careful with this one.

"Draw! I summon Elemental Hero Heat!" The male counterpart to Lady Heat was similar in build, but possessed large armguards to give a greater sense of size. "Now his effect activates; for every Elemental Hero on the field, he gains two-hundred attack points." A small aura of fire appeared around the hero, raising his attack from 1600 to 1800. "And now I activate H Heated Heart, which not only raises Elemental Hero Heat's attack by another five hundred points, but also lets his attack penetrate your monster's defense! Elemental Hero, attack with Fire Fist!" Elemental Hero Heat's aura grew even brighter, and rather then attacking physically, he launched the whole thing at Manjoume's monster, which revealed itself to be Dark Sprite Dragons, a pair of dark wyrmlings with a total defense of 1650. The fire burned right through them, bringing Manjoume's life points down to 3350. "Turn End." With that, the effect of H Heated Heart came to an end, and Manjoume glared at Judai.

"I know you can do better then this Judai; maybe I just have to motivate you. I activate my trap card, Call of the Haunted, to special summon Double Sprite Dragons back from the grave. Furthermore, when sacrificed for the summon of a dark dragon, Dark Sprite Dragons counts as two monsters, so I sacrifice him to summon Dark End Dragon!" The spirits vanished, replaced by a dragon whose scales were as dark as night, and on its belly was a second face, grinning and leering at Judai, and Judai had the distinct impression that the monster's 2600 attack power was going to be the least of his troubles. "Now I activate his effect; once per turn, by reducing his attack by five hundred points, I can send one monster on your side of the field to the grave. Dark Evaporation!" The face on the dragon's stomach opened its mouthed and breathed a deadly miasma onto Elemental Hero Heat, instantly sending him to the grave. "Now, Dark End Dragon, attack with Dark Fog!" This time it attacked with its regular mouth, and the beam of darkness struck Judai, bringing him down to 1900 life points. "Consider your next move very carefully, Judai. End turn."

"Manjoume, you don't believe in going easy on the new guy, do you...I like that! I draw my card, and now I play E Emergency Call, which lets me add a level four or lower Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand. Next, I summon Elemental Hero Ice Edge in defense mode." A child-like hero appeared, wearing armor of the coldest ice. "End Turn."

"In the face of my dragon, this is the best you could come up with? Useless! Dark End Dragon, Dark Evaporation!" This time though, when the miasma consumed Ice Edge, there was no effect.

"I'm sorry Manjoume, but Elemental Hero Ice Edge can't be effected by the effect of a level four or higher monster." Manjoume smirked.

"I figured that it would be something like that; it would be very disappointing if you chose a weak monster. But it still won't be enough! I now play Cleansing Water, restoring Dark End Dragon's attack back to twenty-six hundred. Next I play Dragonic Enrage, which allows Dark End Dragon's attack to penetrate your defense. Finally, I summon Light Sprite Dragons." A pair of odd looking wyrmlings manifested, one pink and one green, each with a tiny little halo above their heads. "Dark End Dragon, attack Ice Edge." The dark beam pierced right through Ice Edge, yet despite the 1500 points of damage dealt to Judai, the hero survived.

"That immunity to effects I mentioned before? It goes for battle too, so Elemental Hero Ice Edge survives." Shou looked at Judai with awe in his eyes; even against such a powerful monster, Judai still wouldn't give up.

"That's incredible bro; maybe if I could be that good, then maybe…"

"Judai! You might be able to hold me off for now, but you can't stay on the defensive forever! Attack me, if you think you can! I end my turn."

"You want it, you got it! I summon Elemental Hero Knospe!" A humanoid plant, resembling a rose that had yet to bud, appeared on the field. "Since I've got another Elemental Hero on the field, Elemental Hero Knospe can attack you directly and she in turn can't be the target of an attack. Also, every time she does battle damage, her attack rises by one hundred points. Attack!" Elemental Hero Knospe fired two sets of three seeds at Manjoume, for a total of 600 points of damage, dropping him down to 2750 life points. Suddenly Light Sprite Dragons exploded into light. "Woah, didn't see that coming. End turn." Manjoume shrugged.

"Yeah, it's the trade-off with Light Sprite Dragons; it can't be destroyed in battle, but if I take any damage, it goes away. But you gave me what I asked for, so I can't complain. Now for my turn; I summon the Wish Dragon in defense mode." A creature not unlike the Baby Dragon appeared, standing over a nest with two eggs in it. "Now, while I can't attack your Elemental Hero Knospe, I can destroy it with effects. Dark Evaporation!" The dark miasma made short work of Knospe, and once again Ice Edge was alone on the field. "Come on Judai, fight back!" Judai drew his next card.

"I set one card, and end my turn." Manjoume scoffed as he drew his next card.

"I guess I've exhausted the limits of your deck. I now play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your face down card." The card in question was Hero Blast, which would have allowed Judai to add an Elemental Hero of level 4 or less from the grave to his hand, and then destroy one monster whose attack was less then that hero. "Now I activate Wish Dragon's effect, sacrificing it to special summon two dragon tokens." As the dragon vanished, the two eggs it guarded hatched, revealing a pair of even tinier dragons. "Now I sacrifice my tokens in order to summon Light End Dragon!" A brilliant light heralded the arrival of Manjoume's latest dragon; where the Dark End Dragon was patterned after western style dragons, Light End was patterned after eastern dragons; its body was long and serpentine, though it did possess four angelic wings. Angelic wings, demon wings; these monsters were aspects Manjoume's greatest dragon. Remembering the swath that the Light and Darkness dragon had torn through Takuma's defenses, Judai knew that he would have to defeat Manjoume before that dragon could be summoned. But how? Even Elemental Hero Earth would be hard pressed to face down those dragons.

"Judai, you can't give up now! Remember what my sister said earlier today; the True Duelist can shine even brighter then their monsters! The same goes for Sir Manjoume's!" Judai nodded at Shou, and drew his next card.

"I set two cards, and end my turn." Manjoume drew his card, and smiled.

"Judai, this is the last turn; your fate, not just in this duel, but in all your duels to come, rest in the card you just drew. I now summon Hunter Dragon, a third level monster, so he can destroy your Elemental Hero Ice Edge. Attack!" A small dragon with terribly sharp fangs, the Hunter Dragon swooped down and crushed Ice Edge in its jaws.

"All right, I activate my first card, The Flute of Kuriboh Summoning, and special summon Winged Kuriboh to the field!"

"It's useless! Dark End Dragon, Dark Evaporation!"

"Not yet, Manjoume! I activate Transcendent Wings, sacrificing Winged Kuriboh and discarding two cards from my hand to special summon Winged Kuriboh LV10!" There was brighter flash of light than when Light End Dragon was summoned, and then Winged Kuriboh, now encased in draconic armor with big white wings, appeared. "And now I activate his effect; by sacrificing him during your battle phase, I can destroy all your monsters and deal damage equal to all their attack points!"

"What!" Before Manjoume could do anything to stop it, Winged Kuriboh Level 10 focused a blast of light at his monsters, disintegrating them and his life points.

"All right Manjoume, that was really fun! Next time, I hope you get to summon that Light and Darkness Dragon of yours." Judai stuck his hand out, but Manjoume ignored it.

"I have to wonder how it is that someone of your talent managed to end up in Osiris Red."

"Well, I figured it was because Red was my favorite color." There was a brief period of silence.

"Never mind, you just answered the question for me. I look forward to seeing how you perform in class and off the field." With that, Manjoume marched off in the direction of the Obelisk Blue dorm and Shou rejoined Judai's side.

"Hey Shou, how are the dorms assigned?" Shou sighed, and they walked as they talked.

"To keep it short, Osiris Red is where you end up if you only pass either your practical or your written exam. If you pass both, you get to go to Ra Yellow. And if you pass both and you receive the recommendation of someone in the faculty or Obelisk Blue, then you get to join Obelisk Blue."

"Ah, then it's a good thing I scored a seven on my written exam, because there's nowhere else I'd rather be then Osiris Red!"

* * *

"Winged Kuriboh Level Ten. How very interesting." Daichi Misawa examined the readout of the duel between Judai and Manjoume with two questions in mind; first, what other secrets did Judai's deck contain, and second, who tipped him off and provided him with the data codes to observe the duel in the first place? Misawa doubted that this person went through this trouble for his benefit. And yet, what benefit could his unknown helper gain from this? A third mystery then; Misawa knew that he would enjoy his time at Duel Academia, he just didn't realize it was going to be this much fun.

* * *

As Manjoume arrived at the Obelisk Blue dorm, he saw Asuka Tenjouin standing just outside the entrance.

"So which was it? Elemental Hero Earth, or Winged Kuriboh?" Manjoume stopped, and looked Asuka straight in the eye.

"Winged Kuriboh Level Ten. But why do you care so much about that card?"

"You can't expect me to reveal my secrets that easily, can you Manjoume?"

"You can't blame me for trying the straightforward approach. See you in class."


	3. Chapter 3

Bloodlines and Spirits

For Judai, the first official day of class at Duel Academia was already off to a rough start, for he'd managed to oversleep by fifteen minutes. But since he and Shou had spent the better part of the previous day exploring the campus, he was able to take a shortcut and in the end he was only five minutes late. At least, Judai thought of it as only five minutes; Professor Chronos De Medici clearly thought otherwise.

"Ah, so the dropout boy has decided that he will grace us with his presence after all. I'm glad to see that you haven't allowed your lucky shot against me to go to your head. Now take your seat." Judai rushed over to Shou and started whispering to him.

"So what did I miss?"

"Not much; just Professor Chronos going on about all the duels he's been in, so you have to expect the occasional fluke defeat. That's when you showed up." Judai nodded to Shou, aware that they were already pushing it with Professor Chronos and not wanting to get in trouble on the first day.

"But of course, the purpose of this institution is not for you to hear of my exploits, regardless of how incredible they may be; the purpose is to aid each and every one of you in achieving the limits of your talents. Therefore, on this occasion I shall see to it that a certain student of ours awakens to his talent; I am of course speaking of Shou Marufuji!" At that very moment, everyone turned to Shou, and he just wished that he could disappear.

"Me, Professor Chronos?"

"Yes, you. After all, you share in the Kaiser's blood, so exult in this fact! This is no time to be nervous my boy. Now then, who shall your opponent be?" Professor Chronos started scanning the classroom, searching for the right duelist for the exhibition of Shou's talent.

"Professor Chronos, there's really no need for this. I…"

"Nonsense, Mr. Marufuji! You must show everyone your talent, that everyone will know what to aim for. Now as for your opponent, I've decided on you!" Chronos then pointed at Daichi Misawa. "You are the top performer of all who were accepted into Ra Yellow, so you will do a fine job of drawing out Mr. Marufuji's talent." Misawa stood up without saying anything, walked over to Shou, and stuck out his hand.

"Come on, let's try to make the best of this, okay?" Shou took his hand, and offered a meek smile.

"I'll try not to disappoint you, Mr. Misawa." The two duelists now stood at opposite ends of the classroom, and armed their duel discs.

"Now that the duel has begun, why don't you go first, Mr. Marufuji, and show us what you can do." Everyone in the room started cheering for Shou.

"I summon Royal Magical Library in defense mode." A tower filled with ancient books appeared before Shou, and at the base of the tower were three gemstones, each glowing dimly. "Next I play Timidity, which will forbid either of us from destroying any face down spells or traps until the end of your turn." As an air of calm settled onto the room, the first gem stone of the tower began to glow much brighter then before. "Finally, I set one face down card, and end my turn." With two thousand defense points, it wouldn't be easy for Misawa to get past Shou's defense, and it was clear to Chronos that Shou was setting up something truly spectacular.

"My turn, draw!" Misawa examined his hand, and put his strategy into motion. "First I play Foolish Burial, sending one monster from my deck to the grave." As he did so, the second of the Royal Magical Library Gemstones began to shine. "Next I discard Skull Conductor in order to special summon two Zombie Monsters, so long as their cumulative attack power does not exceed two-thousand. I now special summon two Skull Servants." A pair of weak and frail looking skeletons appeared on the field, clothed in tattered blue cloth. With only three hundred attack points each, they certainly couldn't get past the Royal Magical Library. "Now by sacrificing my Skull Servants, I can special summon from the grave my Nine Tailed Fox." The skeletons crumbled down into ash, and the Nine Tailed Fox appeared, as magnificent and graceful as its mythical namesake, with a 2200 attack power behind it.

"That's Daichi Misawa for you, the number one duelist in all of Ra Yellow." Judai realized that there was a pair of Ra Yellow girls next to him, sitting where Shou was before the duel started.

"Excuse me, that's where Shou was sitting." The girl sitting closer to him turned to Judai.

"Oh don't worry, once Misawa wins we'll go back to our seats. We just came down because the view's better from this angle." Judai wanted to tell them to not count Shou out so easily, but Misawa had just begun his assault.

"First my Nine Tailed Fox attacks, and since I special summoned her from the grave, her attack penetrates your defense. Go, Nine Tailed Spear!" As the Fox's tails smashed the Royal Magical Library into Rubble, Shou took 200 points of damage. "Now my Blood Sucker attacks directly, and since he does battle damage, I get to send the top card of your deck to the grave." A small creature, like a mutated vampire bat, descended on Shou and bit down on his throat, dealing 1300 points of damage. "End turn." A low grumbling emerged from the audience, most of it directed at Professor Chronos. He himself was growing quite irritated.

"Mr. Marufuji, what is the meaning of this? This is a duel, not a Boku-Tsukomi routine! Now stop making me look foolish and defeat Misawa!" While that might have been meant to encourage Shou, it did nothing of the sort.

"Shou Marufuji." Misawa addressed him directly. "I can tell that you're heart isn't in this duel. If you want to surrender now, there's no one here who will hold it against you." Shou was tempted, he really was. He probably would have gone through with it, if not for Judai, who'd just rushed down onto the field.

"Hey Shou, remember the other night? You said something about wanting to be strong like me, right? Well, the first thing you've got to do is to not worry about whether you're going to win or lose; just play the game, and the rest will take care of itself." Shou's eyes got really wide.

"Bro, how'd you come up with something so wise?" Judai laughed.

"Actually, it was my big brother who came up with that one. Well, he wasn't really my big brother, but hey, close enough right? Now show Misawa what you've got Shou!" Shou faced Misawa with newfound determination in his eyes, and Misawa returned the favor.

"I draw my card, and summon Dark Valkyria!" A woman with light purple skin and armed with pitch-black metal wings flew in front of Shou, with 1800 attack points to her name. "Now I activate my trap card, Pitch-Black Power Stone!" A stone, dark as night with an inverted triangle floating in the middle of it, flashed into being. "When I activate this card, I place three spell counters on it, and once per turn I can transfer a spell counter to a valid target, and Dark Valkyria is just that!" One leg of the triangle vanished as Dark Valkyria's wings began to glow, her attack power increasing by 300 points. "Now, attack Blood Sucker with Dark Wing Slice!" Dark Valkyria flew past the Blood Sucker, cutting him in half with her wings for 800 points of damage.

"That's good Shou, but what are you going to do about Nine-Tailed Fox? You do have something to deal with her, right? Shou nodded.

"That's right. By removing a spell counter from Dark Valkyria, I can destroy one monster on your side of the field. Dark Wave!" Dark Valkyria drew her wings back, and flapped them forward, creating a gust of wind that destroyed Nine Tailed Fox. However…

"When Nine Tailed Fox is destroyed and sent to the grave, I special summon two fox tokens to the field." And so there were a pair of foxes, each with only one tail each, mere fragments of their mother's power.

"I now play Giant Trunade, returning Pitch-Black Power Stone to my hand, and now I set it back down on the field. End turn." Misawa drew his next card.

"I now sacrifice my Fox Tokens to summon Akaoni!" As it's name suggested, it was a red ogre straight out of Japanese mythology, armed with an iron club and 2800 attack points to boot. "And now I activate Akaoni's effect; when I normal summon him, by discarding a card from my hand, I can return one card on your side of the field to your hand. I choose your Dark Valkyria!" Shou's monster vanished as its card returned to Shou's Hand, leaving his field exposed. "Akaoni, attack!" The red ogre brought its club down on Shou, knocking him off his feet and leaving him with no life points left.

"It seems I was wrong about you, Shou." Professor Chronos stood over Shou, effecting as much of a towering presence as he could. "It seems that your sister got all the family talent, and left nothing for you. A shame, but there's nothing you or I can do about it. Now as for the rest of you, open your textbooks to page twenty-seven." Just before Judai and Shou returned to their seats, Misawa flipped a note to them. Shou opened it up.

"While it was true that no one would have looked down on you for surrendering under those circumstances, I'm glad you kept going. Daichi Misawa." Then Professor Chronos' droning voice drowned out all other concerns for the time being.

* * *

"Hello everyone, I'm Professor Hibiki, and in my class we will be going over dueling and how it can relate to life outside of Duel Monsters. Before we begin, does anyone have any questions that they'd like to ask? Yes, Miss Maeda?" Hayako Maeda didn't even bother to stand.

"Professor Hibiki, I was here for this lecture last year. Can't I just skip it?" Professor Hibiki sighed.

"Miss Maeda, recall the reason you're repeating your first year here. Now then, any further questions? No? All right then. For today, we are going to discuss the four Legendary Duelists. I'm going to call upon you at random to tell us all about your favorite Legendary Duelist, and how they were able to apply dueling to improving their lives and the world. I'll start with…you, Mr. Manjoume." Jun Manjoume stood up and bowed to Professor Hibiki.

"Thank you for having me go first. The greatest of the Legendary Duelists is of course none other then the founder of Duel Academia, Seto Kaiba! For not only is he a great duelist and the sole owner of the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, he has used his power and influence to provide for orphans across the world. I myself remember the first time I went to a Kaiba Land theme park…but enough about me. The point is that Seto Kaiba has provided a new path for the world, and this is why he is a Legendary Duelist beyond all others! Thus, it is now my goal to prove my strength, and continue the chain of inspiration that Seto Kaiba has begun!" The other students couldn't help themselves, for this was the first time that many of them had ever seen any passion from Manjoume, and so they applauded him.

"Well, Mr. Manjoume, that was very unique! Now then, who would like to go next? Yes, Mr. Misawa?" The Ra Yellow genius stood up.

"I know this may sound odd, but for me Katsuya Jounouchi is the Legendary Duelist that I most admire. It's because he always had something 'real' that he was fighting for, something that enabled him to accomplish far more then anyone would have thought possible. I have always wondered what that feeling would feel like, to go beyond your limits for someone that you cared about that much. For this purpose, I've trained and studied, so that when that time came I would be able to follow through and win!" Misawa sat down to applause not unlike what Manjoume had received.

"That was most insightful, Mr. Misawa. You look like you have something you want to say, Miss Tenjouin?" Asuka stood up, and everyone waited, wondering what she would say.

"When I was a little girl, my parents wanted me to grow up to be an idol; I might have gone along with that, if I'd never heard of Mai Kujaku. I didn't understand why at the time, but I had to meet her, and with my brother's help I was able to convince my parents to take me to her. Looking back on it, that day changed my life; on that day, she showed me that I could choose my own path in life, and that's why I'm here." A moment of silence, then Judai spoke.

"Woah, you actually got to meet Mai Kujaku? That's awesome! That reminds me of how I got to meet the Duel King Yuugi Mutou." And so everyone's attention was now on Judai.

"Well this is news to me." Professor Hibiki tilted her head at Judai. "Why don't you go ahead and fill us in on this story, Judai?"

"Sure thing Professor Hibiki. Like Asuka, it happened when I was a kid. My parents took me to the Kame Game Store over in Domino City, and believe it or not Yuugi Mutou was standing behind the counter. We talked for a little bit, and then he gave me a card. This card, to be exact." Judai reached into his deck and pulled out Winged Kuriboh. "Ever since, I've wanted to get better and better so that one day I'd get to meet him again, and show him what I've done with what he gave me." As the whole class burst into applause, Judai noticed that Asuka was looking at him rather intently, and he wondered if this was how she felt when he was looking at her when they'd first met.

"All right class, settle down. I have to say that this class looks like it's going to be the most exciting that Duel Academia's ever seen. Now, the next item on the agenda…"

* * *

"Bro, I still can't believe that you really got to meet the Duel King, in person! I mean, that's got to be fate or something, right?" Judai shrugged before taking another bite out of his bread.

"Eh, I was just lucky. Besides, there's another Duelist that I also need to meet again. I mean, you can't duel with just one card, right?"

"That's certainly true, but one card can decide the duel." Judai, Shou, and Hayako looked up to find Asuka standing over them. "You guys don't mind if I sit with you for now, right?" Judai and Shou nodded, while Hayako made a non-committal grunt and Asuka joined them.

"So Asuqueen," Hayako said after swallowing her food, "what do want from us?"

"Asuqueen?" Asuka asked with a distinct note of knowing dread in her voice.

"Well, your brother is Fubuking, so that makes you Asuqueen. Like I said, what do you want?" Hayako took another bite from her food as Asuka arose from her seat.

"It's funny, but I can't remember what I wanted to ask you guys. I'll see you back in class, okay?" Judai and Shou nodded as Asuka walked away. Judai then turned to Hayako.

"You don't like Asuka very much, do you?" Hayako sighed.

"It's not really her; it's her brother. He seems like a really great guy on the surface, but dig a little too deep and he's a real creep. And you know what they say about apples falling from trees, right?" It took Judai a moment, but he did get what Hayako was saying. All the same, he didn't think that either Asuka or Fubuki could be that bad. Could they?

* * *

"Welcome everyone to Professor Daitokuji's class on the driving alchemic force of the mythological imperative behind Duel Monsters. Now, before we begin, does anyone have any questions? Yes, Judai?"

"What do you mean by the driving…all that stuff you said?" Professor Daitokuji let out a good natured laugh.

"Yes, I suppose that when I say it like that it does come across as a bit intimidating, or even cumbersome. I think we should start by way of example; who can tell me how Seto Kaiba won his duel against Isis Ishtar in the Battle City Finals? Yes, Mr. Manjoume?"

"Everyone knows that, Professor Daitokuji; Seto Kaiba used Soul Exchange to sacrifice her monsters in order to summon Obelisk, then he played Silent Dread to summon Gadget Soldier in defense mode and sacrificed them both to summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and attacked her directly." Daitokuji nodded.

"That's very good Mr. Manjoume; now, can you explain _why_ he summoned the Blue-Eyes White Dragon instead of attacking with Obelisk?" Manjoume faltered.

"Well, Isis had set Blast Held by Tribute and…" Daitokuji shook his finger at the boy.

"Yes, but Kaiba couldn't have known about that. Blast Held by Tribute is a true trap, one that isn't seen until it's too late. Yet, Kaiba must have seen past it. Perhaps he used his company's resources to see what her card was?" Manjoume slammed his hands down, but Daitokuji cut him off before he could say anything. "Don't worry Manjoume, I've investigated that duel myself, and I found no signs of tampering with the duel discs that would have given Kaiba an unfair advantage. But that does leave us with the mystery of why he summoned the Blue-Eyes White Dragon unsolved; does anyone have a theory that they would like to suggest?" Although there was much whispering, no one was willing to speak up, except oddly enough for Shou. All eyes were on him.

"Well, my sister, Kaiser Ryoko, she said that just before Seto played Silent Dread, he whispered something. She had a professional lip reader go over the video, and according to him, Kaiba said 'Kisara'."

"Which brings the new question; who or what was this 'Kisara'? I'd like everyone to write a paper on their theory for this mystery. Your paper should be…"

* * *

"Bro, can you believe how much homework we have due by the end of the week? A paper on the Legendary Duelists for Professor Hibiki, that mystery theory paper for Professor Daitokuji, and Professor Chronos wants us to win at least ten duels by the end of the week!" Judai smiled down at his friend.

"Yeah, I'll admit I really didn't see writing papers at Duel Academia, but winning ten duels? That'll be lots of fun! Hey, excuse me, could you duel me?" The person in question was a second year Osiris Red. He looked Judai over, and gave an approving smile.

"Sure thing; let's do this right here and now." And so Judai's first official duel as a student of Duel Academia began.

* * *

Author's Note: A Boku-Tsukomi routine is a two-man comedy routine where one guy says something stupid, and the other guy corrects by light physical force. Therefore, Professor Chronos is calling Shou a stupid joke. Also, the bits where Judai and Asuka mention meeting up with Mai and Yuugi are taken from my previous story Rebirth of the Shadow Games: After the End. Also, as you can see Shou is using a different deck from either his anime or manga incarnation. This is deliberate. That said, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I appreciate any reviews that you might leave.


	4. Chapter 4

The Cold Blooded Dragon

"All right everyone, listen carefully." Professor Chronos De Medici spared no time in beginning the day's lesson. "Last week I tasked you all with winning ten duels, and now we're going to see how many of you were able to do so. For those who do not realize it, the Duel Discs issued by this academy keep track of your dueling record down to the last detail, so there's no use trying to embellish your accomplishments or make excuses. Now, when I call your name, you will come up to the front of the class and place the gem within your duel disc into the slot on my desk; at that point, your win/loss ratio will be displayed, along with the year and dorm of your opponents. And now our first student is that most illustrious dropout boy, Judai Yuuki!" Judai leapt from his seat and rushed to Professor Chronos, and in fact he jabbed the gem at the slot several times before he calmed down enough to carefully put it in. Now he had to wait for the computer to finish reading the results.

"Come on, come on, hurry up…" Judai was able to keep himself from hopping in place, but the suspense was killing him! Finally the main screen displayed his duel record: 10 victories out of 10, with 6 against Osiris Red, 3 Ra Yellows, and 1 Obelisk Blue.

"Well, I suppose lightning can strike the same place twice after all. You may return to your seat." To Judai, it didn't matter what Professor Chronos thought about him; he could see that his classmates recognized his skill, and that meant that he'd be getting into more duels with even stronger opponents. As Judai sat back down, he hummed an action-y song to himself as he started daydreaming about who his next opponent would be.

"Yes, Professor Chronos!" Judai's daydreaming was interrupted by Shou's sudden outburst; evidently he'd been called down at some point, and now he was going to find out how well Shou had done over the past week. As Shou inserted his gem into the slot, Judai noticed that the shorter boy's hands were shaking, but he attributed that to Shou's nervousness before a crowd; Shou always insisted on dueling away from any audience, including him. Finally the main screen displayed the results: 4 victories out of 9, and all those were against his fellow first year Osiris Reds.

"This is no surprise, though you could have squeezed in a sixth loss to make an even ten duels. You may return to your seat Shou." Shou drooped his head down as he returned to his seat, but Judai gave him a slap on the back that jerked his head back up.

"Forget what Professor Chronos said; you told me that you'd be lucky to win even one duel, and you managed to win four! Just build up on that, and before long you'll be leaving me in the dust." Once again, Shou found that Judai's reassurances were strangely effective; he figured that it was because Judai really did believe the things he said, and that honesty gave his words strength that they wouldn't have possessed otherwise.

Several more students were called down, some of whom had won 10 duels, while others were shy by 1 or 3. In particular, Manjoume, like Judai, had 10 out of ten victories though his opponents were more predominantly Obelisk Blue, and Misawa had 12 out of 15 victories. Then Professor Chronos called down Asuka, and once the main screen revealed her duel records, there was a collective gasp throughout the room.

"Miss Tenjouin, twenty victories out of twenty duels! And half against students in the second and third year! This is incredible! You truly are the queen of Obelisk Blue!" Before long the whole class was chanting 'Asuqueen' again and again. Judai however noticed that despite no outward signs, she gave a distinct sensation of revulsion at that name.

"I was just lucky, really." She tried to wave off Professor Chronos, but he wouldn't have any of it.

"Nonesense, my dear Asuqueen. Luck couldn't account for even half those victories. You've earned your marks. But, as much as I would enjoy exalting your prowess to the heavens, we still have some more of your class mates to go through." Again, despite no outward signs, Judai couldn't miss the distinct sense of thankfulness that Asuka projected as she returned to her seat.

* * *

"I still can't believe it bro; I mean I knew that Manjoume and Misawa were strong, but I had no idea that Asuka was that strong! Did you have any idea, Bro? Bro?" To be honest, Judai hadn't been listening to Shou; He'd been thinking about all the times that he'd seen Asuka over the past week, and he couldn't avoid the fact that as the week progressed she'd grown more…sad. But that didn't make any sense to Judai; after all, if he were to have won twenty duels in a row in only a week, he'd be ecstatic. But then the back of his brain reminded him that Shou was trying to talk to him.

"I'm sorry Shou, I should have been listening better. Do you think you could go on ahead to the Osiris Red Dorm? I feel like going on a walk, and I'd appreciate it if you made sure that there was enough dinner left for me." Shou nodded with a determined look on his face.

"You can count on me Bro!" And so Shou rushed off to the Osiris Red Dorm, while Judai wandered about the campus.

Now, even though Judai had no destination in mind, he greeted the fact that he was in the vicinity of the Obelisk Blue dorm with a mild amusement; after all, he'd been trying to puzzle out the strange behavior of the newly dubbed Queen of Obelisk Blue, and he'd just rejected the idea that it was one of those things about girls that guys never understood when he heard her voice.

"My turn, draw!"

Judai ran in the direction of her voice, and he saw that within a copse of the woods she was dueling another member of Obelisk Blue; on her side of the field, there was a woman wearing a kimono with a distinct fox motif and 2600 defense points, while on her opponents side of the field was Chimera the Mythical Beast, though for some reason it had 2700 attack points instead of the normal 2100. Judai realized that Asuka must have played a trap card on the last turn, as that was the only way her monster could have survived.

"During my standby phase, Cyber Angel Inari activates her effect, allowing me to recover 1000 life points." Her life total arose from 3000 to 4000. "Next I summon Cyber Petit Angel." A tiny little mechanical angel appeared on the field. "Now I activate my angel's effect, allowing me to add Machine Angel Ritual to my hand, and now I now activate it, sacrificing my Cyber Petit Angel and my Cyber Angel Inari in order to ritual summon Cyber Angel Dakini." The fox clothed woman and the angel were gone now, replaced by a blue skinned woman with four arms, two swords, and a spear. "Now, you'd normally get to choose which of your monsters gets destroyed at this point, but since you have only one monster, you don't." Cyber Angel Dakini threw her spear right through Chimera. Her opponent, who looked to be a second year Obelisk Blue, was still smiling. He must have polished his teeth, since they sparkled in the dim light that made it into the copse.

"That's okay, since that activates Chimera's effect, allowing me to special summon Berphomat from the grave in defense mode, and his effect allows me to add another Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts to my hand. Well, my dear Asuka, it looks like you won't be winning this turn either." Judai could see that he was wrong, but where he would have smiled, Asuka's face was frozen in the same look of anger that she had since the duel had started.

"Actually, this is the last turn; you see, Cyber Angel Dakini's attack penetrates your defense, and nine hundred points of damage is all that I need to finish you off." Cyber Angel Dakini quartered Berphomat, wiping out her opponent's life points. Despite the shock on his face, the Obelisk Blue didn't seem disappointed at all.

"Fear not, my lady Asuka, for I will return, stronger then before, and I will prove my strength to you or my name isn't Kazuki Aoyama!" Kazuki then marched right past Judai without even noticing him. As Asuka relaxed herself, Judai approached her.

"Wow, that was great Asuka! I mean, you finished at full life points and took your opponent down to zero exactly. I don't think I've ever managed to pull that off." One look at Asuka, and Judai quickly realized that speaking loudly and with great cheer weren't doing the trick, so he shifted his tactics. "I didn't say anything earlier, because I didn't really notice it, but some thing's been bothering you this whole week. Can I ask what it is, or is this none of my business?" Asuka looked at Judai, appraising him.

"It's no big deal. Really, it's incredibly stupid is what it is. Have you been to the Duel Academia website lately?" Judai shook his head. "Well, about five days ago my brother posted a challenge, saying that whoever could defeat me in a duel would have his permission to court me. So ever since I've been challenged four or five times a day by guys who see me as a prize and not an opponent, and it's just frustrating as all hell; like I told you, it's stupid." Judai took a moment to think about what Asuka had just told him.

"If I understand it right, you're brother's challenge ends once someone wins against you, right?"

"That's the idea."

"All right then, I'll duel you. Don't worry, I'm not going to try and force you to go out with me or anything. I mean, it is a stupid idea after all; I just don't like the idea of someone as skilled and talented as you not enjoying what you love to do."

"You mean it? You're not going to go back on your word?" Judai shook his head.

"Of course not! I wouldn't be much of a duelist if I did that. I just want to have fun, and it's no fun if someone else isn't having fun, right?" Asuka nodded at Judai; she wondered how it was that he had this effect on her, calming her frayed nerves with a few choice words.

"All right, I'm ready when you are, Judai!" Judai armed his duel disc, and after a quick round of roshambo, he decided to let Asuka go first; he really wanted to see what she was made of. "Draw! I summon Mother Grizzly in attack mode, and end my turn." A gigantic bear with blue fur appeared on the field, its claws capable of 1400 points of damage.

"All right, I'm going to fight water with water, and summon Elemental Hero Ocean. Attack!" Elemental Hero Ocean leapt through the air and stabbed his lance through the bear's back, dealing 100 points of damage to Asuka.

"Thank you Judai; when Mother Grizzly is sent to the grave as the result of battle, I can special summon a water monster with an attack of fifteen-hundred or less, and the monster I choose is Cure Mermaid." A mermaid with a red tail and long blond hair swam through the air, stopping in front of Asuka.

"And then during your standby phase, she lets you recover eight-hundred life points. It sure looks like I helped you out with that one! I set two more cards, and end my turn." Asuka drew her card, and recovered 800 life points as Cure Mermaid swam around her.

"Now, since I have a water monster on the field, I can summon Cyber Shark without sacrificing a monster." A strange looking shark joined the mermaid, its body lined with cybernetic components that gave it a 2100 attack power. "Cyber Shark, attack Elemental Hero Ocean!" Cyber Shark was about to bite down on the hero when Judai activated his trap card.

"Mirror Gate! We switch control of our monsters, and the battle proceeds as normal." That's what Judai tried to do, but…

"I activate the quick-play spell card Instant Freeze! I negate the effect of your trap card and set it back face down, and until my third end phase after having played this card, you can't activate Mirror Gate." A harsh wind blew Mirror Gate back down and encased it in ice. This meant that when Cyber Shark ate Elemental Hero Ocean, it was still Judai who took the 600 points of damage.

"I activate my other trap card, Hero Signal! When an Elemental Hero is sent to the grave by battle, I can special summon a level four or lower Elemental hero from my deck, and I choose Elemental Hero Woodsman in defense mode." With 2000 defense points, Cure Mermaid couldn't get past him.

"You're not so bad at getting what you need on the field yourself, Judai. I set one card, and end my turn." It had been a while since she'd dueled someone who really enjoyed the duel, and Asuka began to remember that feeling as Judai drew his next card.

"All right, I use Elemental Hero Woodsman's effect to add Fusion to my hand, which I play to fuse Elemental Heroes Heat and Lady Heat to fusion summon Elemental Hero Inferno!" As the two fire themed heroes vanished, they were replaced by a new hero with a magma core and 2300 attack points. "Next I play O-Oversoul to special summon a level 4 or lower Elemental Hero from my grave. In this case, Elemental Hero Heat!" As Elemental Hero Heat appeared, his aura of fire grew with his companions' power, raising his attack to 2200. "Further, when Elemental Hero Inferno attacks a water monster, his attack rises by one thousand points! Elemental Hero Inferno, attack Cyber Shark!" Elemental Hero Inferno reached into his chest, pulled out a ball of magma, and tossed it at the monstrous shark.

"I activate my trap card, Doble Passé!" Cyber Shark flipped around the ball of Magma, which stopped just before it would have struck Asuka, leaving her unharmed. Meanwhile, the shark swam right up to Judai and slammed into him for 2100 points of damage.

"Woah, what was that card?" Asuka smiled at him.

"Two cards actually; the first, Doble Passẽ, turned your monsters attack into a direct attack, while letting my monster perform a direct attack on you. And as for why I didn't take any damage, it was because I discarded this card." Once she showed him the card, it was all he could see.

"Kuriboh! By discarding that card from your hand, you can reduce battle damage to zero! I can't believe that you have that card. I know that it isn't normal to do this in the middle of a duel, but if I win this duel would you be willing to trade that card?" Asuka looked at Judai, and then stifled a giggle.

"I have to admit, this is a first. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to pass. Kuriboh is a pretty integral part of my deck." Judai nodded.

"Yeah, I see what you mean. Well, my battle phase isn't over yet; Elemental Hero Heat, attack Cure Mermaid!" This time the battle went as planned, and when Cure Mermaid was destroyed, Asuka took 700 damage. "Now I sacrifice my Elemental Hero Woodsman in order to summon Elemental Hero Obsidian in defense mode!" As Elemental Hero Woodsman rotted away, a figure clad in black stone and armed with a pair of obsidian shields arrived in his stead with 2400 defense. "End Turn."

Asuka drew her next card, and flashed Judai a predatory smile. "I'm sorry Judai, but I'm going to stop you in your tracks. I play Machine Angel Ritual, sacrificing my Cyber Shark on the field and the Blizzard Warrior in my hand to ritual summon Cyber Angel Otohime." A cold wind fell on the field, and with it came Cyber Angel Otohime, a slender woman wearing a kimono with a distinct dragon motif. "Now I activate Cyber Angel Otohime's effect, and destroy all monsters on your side of the field whose defense is less then or equal to Cyber Angel Otohime's attack power." And since Cyber Angel Otohime had a 2400 attack power that meant all of Judai's monsters. For a moment Otohime turned into a dragon and breathed a frozen force onto Judai's monsters, shattering them all. Except that is, for Elemental Hero Obsidian, who weathered the blast with his right shield.

"I think I should mention about now that Elemental Hero Obsidian can't be destroyed by effects that don't target him. Also, when Elemental Hero Inferno is sent from the field to the grave, I get to add a spell card from the grave to my hand, and I choose to add Fusion back to my hand." There was a flash of fire from Judai's grave as Fusion flew back into his hand.

"Not bad Judai. End Turn." Judai drew his next card.

"Your move, Asuka." Asuka drew her card.

"I set one card, and end my turn." As her turn ended, the ice encasing Mirror Gate shattered, leaving it available for use once more. Judai drew his next card, and put his plan into motion.

"First I play R-Righteous Justice, which allows me to destroy a number of spells or traps on your side of the field equal to the number of Elemental Heroes on my side of the field." A glowing red aura surrounded Elemental Hero Obsidian, and Asuka's face down card was revealed to be Magic Cylinder before it was destroyed. "Next I activate Fifth Hope, returning my five Elemental Heroes from the grave to the deck and allowing me to draw two more cards. Then I summon Elemental Hero Stratos, and activate his second effect, allowing me to add an Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand. And now Elemental Hero Obsidian will attack your Cyber Angel Otohime!" Asuka couldn't disguise the look of shock in her eyes as she saw the hero charge her angel despite being outmatched.

Yet, even though Elemental Hero Obsidian was destroyed and Judai took 400 points of damage, he was able to strike down Cyber Angel Otohime with his left shield.

"I get it; at the end of the damage step, the monster that battles Elemental Hero Obsidian is destroyed. And now my field is empty, leaving me exposed to your other Hero." Judai smiled.

"Yep, so prepare yourself for this direct attack!" As Elemental Hero Stratos bore down on Asuka with all the elemental force that he could muster, Asuka wondered how long it had been since she'd been subject to a direct attack; ever since she had Kuriboh in her deck, she wouldn't play Doble Passẽ unless it was in her hand, but now that her life points were dropping to 2200, she realized that there were going to be times that she couldn't wall herself off so completely. And so, for the first time in days, she smiled unreservedly.

"That was pretty good, Judai. Is there any more you'd like to do, or is that the end of your turn?" Judai nodded. "All right then, draw! I play Fulfillment of Contract, which at the cost of 800 life points allows me to special summon a ritual monster from the grave, so say hello again to Cyber Angel Otohime, and say goodbye to Stratos!" Otohime once again became the dragon and destroyed Elemental Hero Stratos, avoiding the trap that Asuka knew was waiting for her. "End turn."

Judai knew that this was it; once Asuka summoned a new monster, it would all be over. He drew his next card, and smiled. "Here I go, Asuka! First I summon Elemental Hero Voltic in attack mode, and then I set one card to end my turn."

A trap within a trap? Or could it be a bluff? If she didn't attack, that would give Judai time to draw an Elemental Hero that he could fuse into a new monster. As Asuka drew her next card, and remembered the risk that Judai took, she decided that she'd do the same. "I summon the Fire Princess, and have her attack Elemental Hero Voltic." Now was the moment of truth; as the fire princess's fireballs approached Voltic, there was a moment of tension. Then the fireballs struck true; Judai never activated Mirror Gate. Could it really be over? That was when Judai activated his other card.

"All right Asuka, since you just destroyed an Elemental Hero that was under my control, I get to activate my trap, Hero Counterattack. You choose a card from my hand, and if it's an Elemental Hero, I get to summon it onto the field and you have to destroy one of your monsters. And since I have only one card, I get to special summon Elemental Hero Sunlight!" An androgynous figure as tall as Elemental Hero Earth floated down onto the field, its skin shining with a gentle light and 2600 attack points.

"Heh, looks like I got sloppy Judai. Well, I'll just have to put Cyber Angel Otohime in defense mode and end my turn. Judai drew his next card.

"Here I go; first I discard Elemental Hero Poison Rose to activate Elemental Hero Sunlight's first effect to penetrate your defense for this turn. Then, for each Elemental Hero in the grave that I remove from play, Elemental Hero Sunlight gains 400 attack points for this turn." When the first effect activated, Elemental Hero Sunlight turned from gold to white, and with each Elemental Hero removed from play, that light grew brighter. With 3800 attack points on Sunlight's side, and only 2400 defense points for Otohime, it was clear how this battle was going to go.

"Well Judai, you earned this victory. Just say the word." Judai nodded.

"Elemental Hero Sunlight, attack with Luminous Radiance!" After winning duel after duel after duel, Asuka never thought it would feel so good to lose one. As Elemental Hero Sunlight faded away, Judai approached Asuka. "So, do I have to go talk to your brother or…" Asuka shook her head.

"Nah, all I have to do is show him the data from my duel disc and he'll put the challenge to an end. Thanks Judai, you're probably the only guy on this whole island who'd do what you just did." Judai laughed.

"It really isn't that big a deal. I mean, I'm just lending a helping hand to a friend in need. Now, you're sure you don't want to trade that Kuriboh? Because I'm pretty sure I can scrounge up a few cards that'd be worth your while."

"You sure can be persistent in your own way, can't you? Like I said, Kuriboh's a key card to my deck. You wouldn't be anymore likely to give up that Winged Kuriboh, now would you?" Judai shook his head with a distinct look of horror on his face. "All right then, I'll see you at class tomorrow." And so Asuka made her way back to the Obelisk Blue dorm, while Judai made his way back to Osiris Red.

* * *

Author's Note: I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but I don't own Yugioh GX. Which is a shame, since I honestly think that I could have done a much better job then the actual writers. Oh well, that's why I'm writing this after all.


	5. Chapter 5

A Man's Blood is Burning Hot!

"You'd really think that Asuka'd be able to do better then Judai, wouldn't you, Momoe?"

"I don't know, Junko. I mean, with the way he duels, people have been saying he has the legendary God Draw. A boyfriend like that would be pretty reliable." Misawa coughed, drawing the attention of his study partners.

"I'd like to remind you both that this was your idea. If you would rather gossip about Asuka's love life, there are plenty of other Ra Yellow girls to do that with. Now, could we please resume the research?" Junko and Momoe nodded, and so they resumed their studies. Time passed, and Misawa managed to track down an important reference for Daitokuji's paper when Momoe suddenly spoke up.

"I've got to wonder though…" Momoe paused as she composed her question to Junko, "Where do you think Judai would take Asuka for their first date?"

"Probably the card shop; mind you, Asuka's the only girl on the island who'd think that was a romantic maneuver." It was at that point that Misawa slammed his hands down on the table before getting up.

"I'm sorry; I need to get some fresh air. Can I trust you two to work without me?" Junko and Momoe nodded, and Misawa left. The girls waited to make sure that Misawa was gone.

"Momoe, do you think we laid it on a little thick?" Momoe shook her head.

"Nah. I mean, it's pretty obvious that Misawa's going to challenge Judai, and that's exactly what we wanted him to do."

"Did you remember to set up your computer to record the duel?" Momoe nodded.

"I did everything that our mystery man told us too. Say, after we get done working on this paper, how about we try to figure out who wanted Judai and Misawa to duel?" Junko flashed a grin at her friend.

"You know it." And so the two Ra Yellow girls went to work, no longer distracted by the need to distract Misawa.

* * *

"Hey Hayako, since you're a girl I was figuring that maybe you could answer my question." Hayako looked over at Judai; it wasn't often that the ace of Osiris Red would ask her a question. He was undeniably a better duelist then her, and Shou was his go to guy for academic issues. Whatever this was, it was something that he thought that she could help him with, and Hayako rather liked that.

"All right Judai, shoot." Judai took the seat next to hers.

"Well, for the past two days, ever since my duel with Asuka all the guys have been saying stuff like 'you the man Judai' and 'damn I wish I were you right now', and I get the impression that it's not because I won the duel, but because of Fubuki's challenge. So, is Asuka really that popular?" Hayako couldn't help staring at Judai with wide open eyes.

"You're kidding, right? I mean, you've seen Asuka, right?"

"What do you mean? She looks like any other girl to me."

"…Okay, even you have to have noticed that there are some pretty big differences between how I look and how Asuka looks."

"Aside from the fact that you wear the Osiris Red uniform and she wears the Obelisk Blue uniform, not really." Hayako turned back to her deck.

"I'm sorry Judai, but in this case you're going to need a guy's help. It would be weird if I were to try and explain this to you." Judai nodded, hiding his disappointment.

"All right, thanks for sparing me the time. Oh, and good luck with your next duel!" Hayako waved goodbye, and made sure that Judai couldn't see her smile. After all, it couldn't have been his fault that he was so hopelessly naïve.

Judai, meanwhile, was trying to figure out who he could ask for help, and was also wondering why winning this one duel with Asuka had made everything so complicated. Judai wasn't used to having so much on his mind, which was a big part of why he didn't see Misawa as he walked right into him.

"Ah, good, you're here. This will save me a lot of time. Come with me, I'd like to discuss this away from prying eyes." Judai nodded, and followed Misawa to the area behind the Ra Yellow dorm, which bordered the river that ran through the side of the island that Duel Academia was built on. "Judai Yuuki, I challenge you to a duel!" Judai raised his eyebrows.

"Sure thing Misawa, but if I win you have to answer one question of mine no matter what it is." Shou might have been better at him at Academics, but Judai knew that Misawa was the smartest student on campus and would be the best person to ask about this sort of thing.

"All right then, but if I win, you have to forfeit your status as the victor of Fubuki's challenge. Do you accept my terms, Judai Yuuki?" Judai took a moment to think about what Misawa had just said.

"…Did you want to duel Asuka and win the challenge?" Misawa's eyes bugged out.

"What? No. I just want to put an end to this incessant rumor mongering about you two. Far too many people are far too consumed by it, which makes it very difficult to find study partners who'll concentrate. That's my only interest in this matter.

"Okay, I can see your point. Let's do this thing!" Judai thought that Misawa might have been 'protesting too much', like the people in those old movies that Professor Hibiki liked to watch would say, but he didn't want to say anything about that. After all, it was Misawa's business and none of his.

"Why don't you go first Judai? Let me see the power that defeated both Jun Manjoume and Asuka Tenjouin in action."

"All right, if that's how you want it. First I summon Elemental Hero Ocean and then I play Hero's Bond, which let's me special summon two Elemental Hero's of level four or less from my hand. So say hello to Elemental Heroes Lady Heat and Knospe!" As Elemental Hero Ocean swam onto the field, he stuck out his hand and in a flash of light Lady Heat and Knospe had their hands on his. "And now Elemental Hero Lady Heat's effect activates; for every Elemental Hero on my side of the field, you take two hundred points of damage." Knospe and Ocean contributed their inner fire to Lady Heat, and she threw all three fireballs at Misawa for 600 points of damage. "Now it's your turn Misawa." Misawa brushed himself off before proceeding.

"Rushing out of the gates with both barrels unloaded; that's just what I expected from you. I summon Crow Tengu, and attack Elemental Hero Lady Heat." A goblin cloaked in the guise of a crow flew onto field. It then rushed up to Lady Heat and clawed her, dealing 100 points of damage to Judai. "I set two cards, and end my turn." Misawa started running the odds in his mind; given Judai's God Draw, it wouldn't take long for him to get R-Righteous Justice into his hand. Fortunately, Misawa was prepared for that.

"Here I go Misawa! During my standby phase I activate Elemental Hero Ocean's effect, which allows me to return an Elemental Hero from the grave or the field back to my hand, and I choose Elemental Hero Lady Heat, who I summon back to the field." A gush of water shot out of Judai's graveyard, carrying Lady Heat with it. "Now Elemental Hero Ocean, attack Crow Tengu!" The ocean-borne warrior struck down the goblin for 100 points of damage, but in the goblin's place came a fireball that looked like it was glaring at Judai.

"Graveyard of Wandering Souls; each time a monster is sent to my graveyard, I special summon a fireball token in defense mode."

"Okay then, Elemental Hero Lady Heat attack his fireball token, and then Elemental Hero Knospe attacks directly." All according to plan, Misawa thought to himself.

"I activate my trap card, Call of the haunted, to special summon Crow Tengu from the grave, and when he is summoned like so, I can destroy one monster on your side of the field, and I choose Elemental Hero Ocean!" Crow Tengu revealed a fan in its possession, and used it to blow Ocean away as Lady Heat destroyed the fireball token.

"That's okay, because so long as I have another Elemental Hero on the field, Knospe can attack you directly anyway." And so Misawa was shot in the face with three giant seeds for 600 points of damage. "And to finish things off, I set one card." Then Lady Heat used her effect to toss two fireballs his way for another 400 points of damage.

"Judai, this damage you've dealt to me…I'm going to return it with interest! I summon the Disgraced Necromancer, and I'll have him attack Lady Heat." A man in a tattered cloak leaning on his staff glared at Lady Heat, unleashing terrible necromantic forces at her.

"I activate the trap card, Hero Barrier, blocking one attack against an Elemental Hero."

"Well, in the end that won't change anything; Crow Tengu, attack!" And once again the crow goblin destroyed Lady Heat for 100 points of damage. "All right Judai, let's see how you get out of this one. End turn."

"Funny you should ask; I just drew Rose Bud, which let's me sacrifice Elemental Hero Knospe to special summon Elemental Hero Poison Rose from my hand or deck." The childlike Knospe returned to the earth, and in her place grew the visibly more mature Poison Rose. "Poison Rose starts off with an attack power of nineteen hundred, but each time she inflicts battle damage her attack power rises by two hundred points, and she's the only monster that you can attack. Attack Disgraced Necromancer with Poison Rose Bloom!" Misawa should have taken 200 points of damage, but even though Disgraced Necromancer had been destroyed, no damage was dealt. Furthermore, Misawa's hand was empty.

"When the Disgraced Necromancer is destroyed in battle, I can discard my hand to reduce the battle damage to zero. And since two of the cards I discarded were monsters, that makes three fireball tokens total." As each wisp of angry fire appeared on the field, Judai realized that Misawa gave up too much for them to be simple wall monsters; but what their real purpose was, Judai couldn't say.

"End turn." Misawa drew his next card.

"Judai, by now you must have realized that my fireballs are more then mere walls to protect me; Because I have fire monsters on my field, I can special summon Goka the Pyre of Malice from my hand." A huge funeral pyre flashed onto the field, its fire leering with the same angry look as the fireball tokens. "Now, when Goka is special summoned in this manner, I have to sacrifice one of my fireball tokens, but he won't be alone, because Goka has another effect; for every fire monster that I sacrifice to it, Goka gains five hundred attack points for this turn." The first fireball faded away, while the other two rushed to Goka, raising its fire even higher, and its attack power from 2200 to 3200.

Goka then shot a huge blast of fire at Poison Rose, and the Goblin Tengu raced past the burning remains of the former hero to attack Judai directly, leaving him with only 1100 life points left.

"You're really good Misawa! Your strategy and skill, it's perfect!" Misawa smiled.

"And that's not all; during my standby phase, Goka special summons another fireball token to the field, and with Graveyard of Wandering Souls any other monster of mine that you destroy just gives my fire even more fuel. Judai! My burning blood will break through your God Draw!" Faced such a challenge, Judai couldn't hold back his joy as he drew his next card, and for a moment he thought that his deck must have shared in his joy.

"I now play the spell card, Miracle Fusion, removing from play Elemental Heroes Knospe and Poison Rose to fusion summon Elemental Hero Orchid!" If Poison Rose was the mature form of Knospe, then Orchid was even more so, and she had 2300 attack points to prove it. "Elemental Hero Orchid, attack Goka!" Vines erupted from just beneath the malicious pyre. They wrapped around it and crushed it into the ground, smothering the fire within, except for one wisp that escaped. "And because Orchid did battle damage, she gains three hundred attack points. Your move Misawa." Despite this latest upset, Misawa knew that his strategy could adapt to it.

"First I play Graceful Charity, and one of the cards I discard is a monster, so I special summon another Fireball token. Next I summon Gozuki in defense mode, and activate his effect to send an undead monster from my deck to the grave." As the third fireball appeared, Misawa knew his strategy was complete; for the monsters he'd sent to the grave were Akaoni and Mezuki, the latter of which could be removed from the grave to special summon Akaoni to the field, and with Akaoni's effect, he could discard his hand to remove Orchid from the field and clear the way to victory.

"I now activate Orchid's effect! All your monsters shift to attack mode, and they all have to attack Elemental Hero Orchid!" Vines whipped out of the ground and brought Misawa's monsters before Orchid, and no matter how he calculated it, Misawa couldn't find an order of attack that could save him. Especially since Graveyard of Wandering Souls would make sure that his undead monsters would be replaced with more fireballs, preventing him from activating Mezuki's effect. Not wanting to drag things out, Misawa let one of the fireballs be destroyed first, bringing his life down to 0.

"Damn, I almost had you. That's some trick you pulled there, using my own trap against me. Seriously, how did you end up in Osiris Red?" Judai shrugged as his monster vanished.

"Does it help if I failed my written entry exam?"

"I suppose it does. So, what's the question? No matter what it is, I will answer it without reservation."

"Do you know why Asuka is so popular with the guys?" Misawa's eyes bugged out.

"That's…that's your question? You sure you don't want help with your paper for Daitokuji? Because I could definitely do that." Judai raised an eyebrow.

"Dude, you said you'd answer any question and that's my question. No one else will give me a straight answer, so you're the only one who can help me out here." Misawa sighed.

"All right, you won the duel, you get your question. Well, Asuka is tall, she's smart, she knows how to keep a cool head in a crisis, her skin looks to be quite healthy, and she does have rather nice…" Judai waved his hand in a circle.

"Go on, she has nice what?" Misawa couldn't understand why he was getting so nervous, but he knew that he had to bring the conversation to a close.

"Never mind that! The point is is that she is a very attractive person physically and mentally, and as such it's little wonder that so much of the male populous on this island has expressed such interest in her and jealousy over the fact that right now you're the only one Fubuki approves of for her." Misawa didn't mean to, but he managed to get rather excited near the end, and he knew that Judai didn't miss it.

"Are you sure that you didn't challenge me for the chance to go out with Asuka?"

"No! As I established before the start of the duel, I have no romantic interest in Asuka. Now, have I satisfied your curiosity?" Judai nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, if I stop to think about it, Asuka does sort of stand out from the other girls. Thanks Misawa. I hope we get to duel again." As Judai ran back to the Osiris Red dorm, Misawa mused on how unwittingly lucky Judai was, both on the dueling field and off it.

"Wait, what?" Misawa puzzled out the meaning of that last thought, and his unrelentingly analytical mind coupled it to what he'd said about Asuka to reach one unavoidable conclusion. "Damn it!"

* * *

"Asuka, that was quite the sneeze. I think someone just got a new admirer!"

"That's just superstition Fubuki. Besides, one admirer or a hundred, Judai won your little challenge so he's the only one who's allowed to court me."

"That's right, and speaking of which; you still haven't told me when you two are going to go out for your first date. Now, I don't mean to pry or rush you, but as your big brother I deserve to know."

"I've told you a hundred times now, we'll go out when we feel like it." Strictly speaking this was true; it was also true that she had no intention of ever going out with Judai and he honestly didn't seem to have any desire to go out with her, but there was no need to mention that to Fubuki. "Besides which, you're changing the subject; are you going to help me practice for my next practical exam or not?" Fubuki was grinning his trademark grin.

"Hey, what else is a big brother for? Of course I'll help you."

* * *

"Hey Misawa, did you have a good walk? Momoe and I have some questions we'd like to…ask you…" Misawa walked right past them, muttering something about how he couldn't believe himself before returning to his room.

"What do you suppose that was about Junko?"

"Maybe Misawa realized that he's in love with Asuka and now he doesn't know what to do with that?" The two Ra Yellow girls looked at each other for a moment before bursting out into laughter. "Okay, I seriously don't know. Maybe if we go look at the recording of his duel with Judai we might find some clues." Momoe nodded.

"Yeah, and besides, this paper isn't due for three more days anyway, so we've got plenty of time."


	6. Chapter 6

Inheritance and Pride

"Oh, sorry about that Hayako; I don't know how I didn't notice you, but I didn't. Maybe you could figure out a way to make yourself even more prominent then you already are, and then this sort of thing wouldn't happen again." Hayako grumbled to herself as she picked up her duel disc, which the second year Obelisk Blue girl had 'accidentally' knocked out of her hands. "I'm sorry, what was that? You'll have to speak up when accepting my apology. Mind you, it would also work if you were to speak human, but I'll take what I can get."

"Fine, Misa, if that's what you want, than I accept your 'apology'. Now if you don't mind, I have to get to class." Misa smirked at Hayako.

"Of course; after all, the lesson might sink in the second time around." Misa then walked off towards her own class, leaving Hayako no room for a retort. As Hayako made her way to class, she ran into Judai.

"Woah, sorry about that Hayako, I didn't see you there."

"Yeah, I'll bet you didn't!" Judai flinched back.

"Woah, where'd that come from? Did something happen before I got here?" Hayako sighed.

"It's nothing Judai. Now come on, we're already late for class, but hopefully Professor Chronos won't give us too much grief about it." As the two Osiris Red students made their way into the classroom, Professor Chronos was occupied with setting up the solid vision images for the day's lectures and as such failed to notice their arrival. Shou however, did.

"Don't worry Bro, I took all the notes I could before you got here. Plus, Professor Chronos hasn't gotten around to taking attendance, so he can't even prove that you were late." Judai laughed.

"Yeah, but he'll probably say I am anyway." Sure enough, Professor Chronos did mark Judai late, but Judai didn't give any thought to this, nor to the lesson at hand; his mind was occupied by the angered expression on Hayako's face, and though she kept her muttering below her breath, he had the distinct impression that she was talking about someone, as opposed to something.

"Dropout boy, would it be too much for you to pretend to pay attention? Otherwise I don't see the point of you coming to class." And so, while Judai still couldn't focus on the lesson, he made it sure that it seemed like he was. After all, if he got himself into trouble, how was he supposed to help Hayako? Of course, he would have to figure out who was bothering her; Hayako probably wouldn't tell him, but Judai did know someone who should have an idea, and he'd be able to speak to her in just a couple of hours.

* * *

"And that will be all for today class. Please remember that your compositions are due in three days, and if you need any help, my door is always open." Professor Hibiki observed her students as they bowed and filed out of the classroom; all except for Judai Yuuki. "I had a feeling you were going to have trouble with this one, Judai. So, what's the problem kiddo." Since there was no one else in the room now, Judai and Hibiki were able to drop formalities.

"Actually, Sis, it's not the assignment; Shou's been a great help, and he's really patient, like you and Kouyou were when you were first teaching me how to duel. But he's not the one I wanted to talk to you about. It's about Hayako. I have the feeling that someone's been bullying her, but I don't think she'd tell me if I asked her. Is there anyone you can think of who would make trouble for her?" Professor Hibiki sighed as she returned to her seat.

"Her name is Misa Watsuki. Last year she was in Ra Yellow, but this year she received Kaiser Ryoko's recommendation for Obelisk Blue and was accordingly promoted. As for the bullying, that's been going on between of them since halfway through last year. I must have spent at least half of the previous year trying to get Misa to stop being such a pain and for Hayako to stand up for herself, but neither of them would budge. It got so bad Hayako ended up missing the finals, and had to take the first year all over again. If this keeps up, it won't be too long before Hayako drops out altogether." Judai carefully went over what Hibiki told him, and came up with a plan.

"Wait; what if Hayako were to beat Misa in a duel? Then Hayako could make Misa stop, right?"

"It's not that simple Judai, and besides, the two of them have dueled several times, and each time Misa won and used it mock Hayako."

"Oh. Well, maybe she lost all those other times, but this time is going to be different, because now she's got Shou and me backing her up. Thanks for the help Sis, and I promise I'll do a good job on my homework." Judai then dashed out of the room before Professor Hibiki could say anything.

"Honestly, that boy…I'd bet he thinks he could save the world by winning a duel. But then again, this is Duel Academia, so I can't blame him for thinking that way."

* * *

"Hey Manjoume, do you know where I can find Misa Watsuki? It's really important." Manjoume raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, you're a little greedy, aren't you Judai? I mean, isn't Asuka enough woman for you?" Judai stared blankly at Manjoume.

"Huh?" Manjoume shook his head.

"Never mind. Why _do_ you need to see Misa for anyway? I'd hardly think that an Osiris Red, even one as talented as you, would have cause to speak to a senior Obelisk Blue."

"Well it's not for me but for a friend. I need to arrange a duel between them since my friend is too busy with homework to do it themselves. So come on, be a pal and help me out here Manjoume." Judai was about to put his hand on Manjoume's shoulder, but Manjoume pulled away.

"Do you have no sense of personal space? Sometimes I don't know why I bother associating with you. To answer your question, Misa is down at the beach. Now if you don't mind, I need to find someone to practice my dueling with. I will not have our next duel turn out the same as last time!" Manjoume then stormed back into the Obelisk Blue dorm, and Judai knew that despite Manjoume's protests to the contrary, he did know why he 'associated' with him. Judai then dashed off, mentally checking off step one of operation: beat the bully.

* * *

"Hayako, what are you doing here? There aren't any beached whales here, so I know it isn't to see your relatives." As a goodly number of Misa's friends laughed, Hayako grimaced but refused to move.

"Look, I'm just here because Judai said there was something I had to see, okay? Can you just lay off, just for a little while?" Misa gave Judai a looking over, then back to Hayako, and then she started laughing.

"This is just too rich! I don't think that this is what daddy had in mind for you, but who knows? Judai looks like the kind of guy who'd take in a stray or two, and then your dad wouldn't have to waste his time worrying about you anymore."

"SHUT UP! Just…" Judai then stepped in front of Hayako and looked her in the eye.

"I'm sorry Hayako. I knew that it was bad, but I didn't think it would be this bad. Come on, let's just go back to the dorm and forget this whole thing, okay?"

"…No." Hayako then pushed Judai out of the way and faced Misa. "My father loves me, and I won't have you say otherwise. You and me, right now!" Misa smirked as she put on her Duel Disc.

"All right, but when this is over, remember that you're the one who started this, and since that's the case, I'll let you go first." All those who'd come to the beach had now spread out into a circle surrounding the two duelists.

"First I set one monster, and then I set three cards to end my turn." Misa started tapping her finger on her chin in an exaggerated thinking motion.

"This is like three-card monte, isn't it? Now let's see if I can find the queen. First I discard Harpy Queen to add The Harpy's Hunting Ground to my hand, which I play right now." A rocky landscape now overlaid the beach, and a steep cliff face manifested behind Misa. "Next I summon to the field Harpy Lady Two." A Harpy with short red hair and 1300 attack points swooped down from the cliff face and destroyed one of Hayako's face down cards, Graceful Dice. "Graceful Dice? Well that can't be your Queen, it does nothing for a monster in defense mode, so let's try again; I play Elegant Egotist, and since I have a Harpy Lady on the field, I can summon Harpy Lady Sisters from my deck." Now a trio of Harpies with 1950 attack points descended from the cliff face and destroyed another card, this one Pot of Avarice. "I doubt that that's it either, but that would have been useful down the line, so it wasn't a waste." It was at this point that Judai turned to Shou.

"Hey Shou, I'm a little lost. How are Misa's Harpies destroying Hayako's spells and traps?"

"It's The Harpies' Hunting Ground; a field spell card that allows the player to destroy one of their opponents spells or traps whenever a Harpy Lady is summoned. But that's not all, because all her Harpies are also going to get two hundred attack points as well." Misa then cocked her head at Judai and Shou.

"No commentary from the peanut gallery, Dropoutboys! Now as for you Hayako, Harpy Lady Two negates the effect of a flip effect monster that she destroys, so say goodbye to whatever you summoned." As Harpy Lady Two flew after Hayako's monster, the card flipped over, revealing the flying squirrel better known as the Nimble Momonga.

"Sorry Hayako, but Nimble Momonga isn't a flip effect monster, so his effect isn't negated. When he gets destroyed in battle, I get one thousand life points and then I can special summon two more Nimble Momongas in face down defense mode." Misa shrugged her shoulders.

"So that's your strategy? Fatten yourself even more with your monsters' corpses? Why doesn't that surprise me? I may as well oblige you, and send another of your rodents to the grave!" The Harpy Lady Sisters moved as one and moved to destroy the next Nimble Momonga.

"I now activate my trap card, Gift of the Mystical Elf, which gives me three hundred life points for every monster on the field, and since it happens before my monster gets destroyed, that means twelve hundred life points." Misa may have destroyed another Nimble Momonga, but Hayako now had 7200 life points, and another 1000 waiting in the wings.

"All right Hayako! Hang in there and show Misa what's what! Come on Shou, help me out here." Both the Osiris Red Boys were cheering her on, and Hayako felt like things were looking up.

"All right, I summon the Enraged Battle-Ox, and he attacks your Harpy Lady Two for two hundred points of damage!" A massive Minotaur, dressed in Greek armor and wielding a huge battle axe, sliced the offending Harpy in two.

"Oh Hayako, this is too much of the same; you with your hideous beasts, and me with my beautiful harpies, it's too much. You see, I summon Harpy Lady One, and I'll equip her with Cyber Bondage for an extra five hundred attack points. Oh, and her effect gives every Wind monster on the field an extra three hundred attack points." Harpy Lady One flew down and donned her risqué armor, bringing her attack power to 2300 hundred while the Harpy Lady Sisters now had an attack of 2450. "First Harpy Lady One attacks Nimble Momonga, and then Harpy Lady Sisters attacks that foul Battle-Ox." Between the 1000 life points Nimble Momonga gave her, and the 750 points of damage that the Harpy Lady Sisters did, Hayako had 7450 life points by the end of the battle phase. "Well now, it looks like all you have left is that generous layer of life points, while I have my sleek and powerful Harpies. Your turn, Hayako." Hayako grimaced as she drew her next card. This time, she swore that this time would be different. This time she had friends who were backing her, and a friend who made her remember to confront her enemies like a True Duelist.

"I set one monster, and end my turn."

"Is that all? Really? All right, it's your loss. I now summon Harpy Lady Three to the field, and she's going to attack that face down monster of yours." This Harpy had spiky blue hair, but the same vicious claws as her sisters. The monster she slew however, turned out to be a massive flying squirrel, the Nimble Musasabi!

"When Nimble Musasabi is destroyed in battle, you take five hundred points of damage, and then two more are special summoned to your side of the field in attack mode, and they can't be sacrificed for a sacrifice summon!" Harpy Lady Three cut off the giant squirrels head, which launched itself at Misa for 500 damage, and two more Nimble Musasabi joined the Harpy's, ready for battle.

"…You do realize that you have nothing left to protect you, right? It won't be enough to defeat you this turn, but I'll attack you with everything I've got!" All of Misa's monsters, including the newly summoned Nimble Musasabis rushed at Hayako, taking her down from 7650 life points down to 1300. "To finish things off, I set one card, and end my turn." Hayako tried to draw her next card, but she was scared; there was one card that could win the duel for her, but what if she didn't draw it? She'd look like a pathetic fat failure yet again, and after Judai went through the trouble of trying to raise her spirits…

"Don't give up Hayako! One card is all it takes to win! Your deck, the deck that you've put your heart and soul into, trust it and you can win! Hayako!!!" As Hayako looked down at her deck, she smiled. Yeah, she knew for sure now that she'd draw the card that she needed.

"I summon the Berserk Gorilla, and then I equip him with Megamorph! Since I have less life points then you, Berserk Gorilla's attack power doubles from two-thousand to four-thousand!" A massive Gorilla crashed onto the field, and as it pounded the ground, it grew even larger, dwarfing student and monster alike. "Nimble Musasabi has eight hundred attack points, which means thirty-two hundred points of battle damage, and the five hundred points of effect damage will finish the job! Berserk Gorilla, attack Nimble Musasabi!" The giant ape reared back and brought its fist down on the giant flying squirrel, crushing it to a pulp and sending a huge plume of sand into the sky. However, when the dust cleared, Misa still had 100 life points left, and now that everything was quiet, an eerie chorus could be heard. Then Misa started laughing uproariously.

"The look on your face was priceless! You really thought you were going to win! As you can see, Aqua Chorus saw to it that that didn't happen. This trap card raises the attack and defense power of all monsters on the field by five hundred points, so long as there's another monster on the field with the same name. And since you gave me _two_ Nimble Musasabis, my trap worked perfectly, leaving me with a nice and petite one hundred life points. Oh, and don't forget that now that your life point total is greater then mine, your monster's attack drops to one half its original value." The Berserk Gorilla, once massive in stature, shrank down until it was smaller then Hayako.

"But…"

"But nothing! It's my turn now, and since you tried to defeat me with these rodents, I'll return the favor. First I summon Cyber Harpy Lady, but forego the effect of The Harpy's Hunting Ground. Next I equip Nimble Musasabi with United We Stand, raising its attack power by eight hundred for every monster on my side of the field, or four thousand points for a grand total of forty-eight hundred attack points. Now finish off that ape, you filthy rodent!" It was over in an instant; the gorilla never stood a chance against the flying squirrel, and Hayako was defeated. She fell to her knees, and it took everything she had to not break down and cry. Judai and Shou rushed over to comfort her.

"Hayako, it'll be okay. You did really great, and you don't have to take my word for it; I'm sure everyone back at Osiris Red will say the same thing." Misa then walked up to Hayako.

"Now, seeing as you interrupted the pleasant time I was having with your hideous form, I think you deserve a penalty game. But I've already put you so thoroughly in your place that I don't know what else I can do; but there has to be something…excuse me, I'm talking to her." Judai stepped in front Hayako and refused to budge.

"Stop being so mean to my friend; you won the duel so why don't you go hang out with your own friends now and leave Hayako alone!" Misa looked down across her nose at Judai.

"Excuse me? I won, and as a duelist I have every right to impose whatever penalty I want on the loser."

"No, you don't, because you're not a duelist! Dueling is about having fun and bringing people together but you use it to hurt people! You're the one who doesn't belong at Duel Academia, not Hayako!" Misa shrugged at Judai, not entirely concealing her mounting rage against the mouthy Osiris Red who didn't know his place.

"You seem confused Judai, so I'm going to explain some facts to you; first of all…Kai…Kai…Kaiser Ryoko!?" A look of sheer horror had overtaken Misa, and Judai, Shou, and Hayako followed her gaze to find Kaiser Ryoko standing there, giving Misa a focused glare of stern disapproval before walking away. "Wait! Kaiser Ryoko, wait for me!" Misa then ran after the Kaiser, who gave her no regard at all.

* * *

"I'm really sorry about this whole thing Hayako. It was all my idea to have you two duel and I ended up embarrassing you even more. Please, accept this as a token of my apology." Judai had gone down on one knee and presented Hayako with her favorite soup; he figured this would do the trick, since the guys in Midori's movies were always doing this sort of thing and the girl would accept the apology every time. Hayako however, waved off the food.

"That's okay, I'm not in the mood to eat. Besides, you don't have anything to apologize for. She was the one who said those horrible things about my father, not you."

"Your father must be a pretty great guy. My mom and dad are always off at work, so I don't think I could ever be really pissed off on their behalf. Now if someone said something about Kouyou or Midori, then we'd have a problem." Hayako focused her eyes on Judai.

"Professor Hibiki told you, didn't she? I can tell, and I know she meant well. Sometimes I like to think of her as the mom I never had, with the way she tried to look after me last year."

"The mom you never had? What happened to her?" Hayako shrugged her shoulders.

"Don't know. The adoption agency wouldn't tell me or father, so they probably disapproved of her. But it's okay, because Jun Maeda is the best father I could ask for."

"…Jun Maeda? _The _Jun Maeda, the dragon duelist said to be on par with Seto Kaiba? That Jun Maeda?" Hayako nodded. "All right, my friend's dad is famous. Promise me that the next time you visit him, you get me an autograph from him." And for the first time all day, Hayako smiled.

"All right, but only if you promise to not be such a busybody, okay?" Judai nodded, with only a vague idea of what busybody meant.

* * *

"Kaiser Ryoko, I don't understand; I won a perfect and elegant victory, so why would you remove the recommendation that you gave me?" Kaiser Ryoko did not turn around to speak to Misa.

"That was not a graceful victory. I'd heard the rumors for some time now, but until now I dismissed them as such. I now see that you never deserved to be in Obelisk Blue, so I'll have you return to Ra Yellow where you belong."

"I don't understand Kaiser Ryoko, I was only crushing a pathetic Osiris Red, so what's the problem with that?" This time Kaiser Ryoko turned around, and Misa wished that the Kaiser had stuck with looking away from her; that way she could imagine that the Kaiser had pain or regret on her face. In truth, there was neither.

"You have perverted the art of the duel; you are supposed to shine brighter then you're monsters, but you had dragged yourself below the level of your Harpies. Consider it a kindness, a recognition of your skill that I don't have you demoted to Osiris Red. Now, I have one question for you; how did you know to insult Hayako's father? I find it quite doubtful that you've had any meaningful conversations with her, and from what I saw of her, she didn't seem like the sort to speak openly about her father. So who told you?" Misa flinched back, away from the Kaiser.

"I don't know who it was; someone sent me an email saying that if I ran into Hayako that I should imply that her father didn't love her. He said that if I did, that he'd provide me with brand-new cards made just for me." Kaiser Ryoko looked into Misa's eyes, as though piercing her soul, and then she left Misa alone, by herself, alone in the halls of the Obelisk Blue dorm.

"Judai…Hayako…" She gripped her fist so tight that she drew blood. Fortunately, it wasn't the hand that she drew her cards with.

* * *

Author's Note: Jun Maeda is a character from my "Rebirth of the Shadow Games" stories. To learn more about him, go to chapter four of "Rebirth of the Shadow Games: Dusk, Night, Dawn".


	7. Chapter 7

Oh, The Trials and Tribulations of Being Fubuking!

"Hi Asuqueen! So what's going on here? Collaborating with your friends to figure out the best place for a first date with Judai, perhaps?" Asuka sighed internally.

"No, Fubuki-!" Her brother started waving his finger at her.

"When we're alone you call me that, but among the common man, you must call me Fubuking, just as I must call you Asuqueen. True, the burden we Tenjouins bear is quite heavy, but we must bear it with pride, to serve as an inspiration to those around us! This is also why it is so very important that you let your boundless love for Judai shine forth, to inspire even more love in the world!" Judai looked at Fubuki with a mixture of bewilderment and excitement; Misawa looked at him with faint bemusement and curiosity; Shou looked upon him with the knowing expression of one personally confirming countless anecdotes; Manjoume tried to remain neutral, but there was a distinct undercurrent of admiration that wouldn't let itself be hidden; in short, Fubuki elicited a reaction from everyone in the Osiris Red Dorm.

"Fine, Fubuking. If you must know, we're swapping stories about our home-lives, and it just so happens that it's my turn. Say, you don't mind if I tell everyone the story of the first time you declared your identity as Fubuking?" At that moment the doorway to the Osiris Red dorm opened once again, and through it came a Ra Yellow girl in her second year, her head crowned by fiery red hair.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Fubuking, and I could have sworn that I saw him come in here." Judai started scratching his head.

"What do you mean? He's right…there?" Judai pointed to where Fubuki had been, but he wasn't there anymore; in fact, it was more like he'd never been there in the first place, so complete was his disappearance.

"I'm sorry…" Asuka waved her hand, and the Ra Yellow girl understood.

"Don't be, I should have introduced myself properly; I am Eva Nomura, second year Ra Yellow, having this year been promoted from my previous year's status of Osiris Red. Fubuking promised me that if I were to advance in the manner that I have, he would duel me, with the prize being his recommendation for Obelisk Blue. So if you do see him, please remind him that I'm still looking for him, and I'll always be looking for him, so long as he shines so bright in the winter moonlight." Everyone nodded blankly.

"Sure, we can do that." With that, Eva Nomura left the Osiris Red dorm, and not a moment later did Fubuki return to sight.

"Fubuking, how'd you do that?" Again, Manjoume made himself sound as neutral as possible, but a certain amount of admiration bled through.

"Years of practice, Manjoume." He said as he clasped an hand on Manjoume's shoulder. Asuka then stood up and faced her brother.

"Do you want to explain this promise of yours, and why you don't seem to want to keep it, or should I just call her back here and have the others restrain you so that you can't disappear again?" Fubuki rubbed his head and laughed with mild embarrassment.

"Asuqueen, I'd love to keep my promise to the sweet Eva, but I fear that she expects more of me then I can offer if she does enter Obelisk Blue. After all, my love must be for all the world to enjoy, and it would be terribly selfish of me were I to only give it to one person. At the same time, by being as the morning star, I can inspire her through the darkest, coldest night."

"In other words you didn't think that she'd make it to Ra Yellow and now you're scared that she'll beat you and force you to become her boyfriend." Shou piped in, much to the surprise of everyone around him. "That's what my sister said about a similar case from the previous year. If I were Fubuking, I'd be happy to have even one girl who'd work so hard to follow me anywhere." His last statement was a whisper, but in the silence of the dorm everyone heard him all the same. Then Misawa joined Asuka, flanking Fubuki.

"By your own philosophy of love, you have to accept Eva's challenge, lest you wish your best friend's younger brother to be in despair." It seemed that it was at that moment that Fubuki really recognized Shou. "Besides, as a man you must keep your word, right Judai?" That last was indeed directed at Judai, but he didn't really get what Misawa meant by it.

"Well, I don't know about it being as a man but we're all duelists here and we should always keep our word. Besides, you would have made Asuka keep her word in your challenge so you've got to do the same for your own." Fubuki sighed and overdramatically slumped over.

"All right, you guys win. Just let me have until tomorrow, okay? This may be the last day that I can appreciate all the love that there is to love." Asuka glowered at her brother, but Manjoume put his hand on Fubuki's shoulder.

"Don't worry, we'll be more then happy to oblige; right guys?" Fubuki seemed to brighten up all at once.

"I knew that one of you would be a comrade that would understand me! Thanks Manjoume, I'll never forget this!"

* * *

"So, I take it reminding you all about your classes won't do the trick, right?" Fubuki kept a good natured grin on his face as he greeted his sister and all of her friends; in retrospect he should have tried to get two more days, since that would have been a Monday instead of a Sunday. As it was, he was stuck with his word. Worse yet, it seemed that the fair Eva Nomura had been asking as many people as she could to keep an eye out for him; at the very least, that would account for the large crowd that had gathered in the main dueling hall, where Eva was waiting for him.

"Thank you for coming, Fubuking. I promise that I won't let you down." Fubuki greeted her with a smile, showing no sign of his reluctance to be here.

"Eva, nothing you do could ever let me down. Now, as they say in the old fashioned parlance, ladies first." The squealing from Fubuki's fangirls was practically visible; it was a deafening sound that hid the sound of Duel Discs being armed and cards being drawn.

"For my first turn, I set one monster. Your move, Fubuking." Eva said the last part with a wink, and Fubuki accepted it with grace.

"A monster for a monster then. I summon the Luster Dragon and I attack your face down monster." The Luster Dragon was, according to the text on the card, a beautiful dragon covered in sapphire scales and reluctant to battle. Whoever was behind the art of the dragon was clearly unaware of the text, save the part about sapphire scales; the wings could only be called such by a generous observer, lacking in any frame that could catch the wind and looking more like vicious hooks then anything. Further, there were numerous gaps in the scales, revealing a terrible darkness to the monster. Finally, the dragon's tiny red eyes hinted at a terrible viciousness at odds with its supposed gentle disposition. As such, when Eva's monster was revealed to be the Unhappy Maiden, the battle strongly resembled something from a fairytale gone horribly wrong.

"Thank you Fubuki. I was worried that you wouldn't take me seriously, but now you've given me such a powerful gift. I summon The Alluring Queen Level One in defense mode." A woman in an impractically elaborate dress and wearing the associated regalia of royalty appeared. She waved her scepter at Fubuki's dragon, and to everyone's surprise it ambled over to the young queen and hovered over her. "During my main phase, the Alluring Queen can equip a monster from the opponent's field to herself. Furthermore, so long as she has a monster equipped to her, she can't be destroyed in battle." This was a very useful ability for the Alluring Queen, since she otherwise had no defense or attack power. "Your turn again, my Fubuking." Fubuki chuckled.

"I'm sorry Eva, but you should really wait until after the duel before you say things like that. You wouldn't want everyone to get the wrong impression, right? And besides, I might not be able to destroy your queen in battle, but I do have other ways to deal with her; first I summon the Infernal Dragon." A dragon with dark green scales and a tail that ended in a pitchfork appeared before Fubuki. "And now I play Dragon's gunfire; when I have a dragon on the field, I can either deal eight-hundred points of direct damage, or I can destroy a monster with eight-hundred defense or less. Sorry Alluring Queen Level One, but we won't get the chance to see you shine." Infernal Dragon reared back and launched a fireball at the Alluring Queen, burning both her and the Luster Dragon equipped to her into ash.

"That's just like Fubuking, always seizing the gaps in his opponent's defenses, no matter who that opponent may be. But that's okay, because if you didn't, you wouldn't be the shining star of my heart that you are!"

"Well thank you! Now, since Luster Dragon is back in my grave, I can play the spell card, Swing of Memories, and special summon him back to the field for this turn. Go forth my dragons, and attack directly!" Between the Infernal Dragon's pitchfork tail and the Luster Dragon's hook wings, Eva was left with only 100 life points. However, once the battle was over, the Infernal Dragon collapsed and perished from its effect; it could only battle once before dying.

"And when your turn ends, the same will happen to Luster Dragon. Don't worry Fubuking, it doesn't matter to me if you don't have staying power." There was some snickering in the sidelines that went over Judai's head, and Shou, Misawa, and Asuka looked at each other in disbelief.

"Now now, Eva, you shouldn't be so hasty to judge; for you see, when Infernal Dragon is sent to the grave by his effect, I can sacrifice a monster on the field to special summon him back. So say goodbye to Luster, and welcome back Infernal!" While the dramatic flourishes that Fubuki tossed in for his graveyard juggling were technically unnecessary, they were most appreciated by his fangirls. And if Eva were discouraged by this latest development, she didn't show it as she drew her next card.

"First I summon White Magician Pikeru, and then I equip her with Trial of the Princesses." A very young girl dressed in a white robed and a scapegoat-styled hat appeared, and above her was a floating banner depicting her and a girl dressed in black fighting a hideous monster. "Trial of the Princesses gives White Magician Pikeru an additional eight-hundred attack points, and if she destroys a monster whose level is greater then her own, she can be sacrificed to special summon Princess Pikeru." With the boost provided by the trial, White Magician Pikeru and Infernal Dragon now had equal attack power. "I now set one card, and end my turn." As Fubuki drew his card, he flashed a grin at Eva.

"I'm sorry for the delay, but it looks like my partner has finally arrived! First I summon Red-Eyes Black Chick, and I sacrifice him in order to special summon the Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" A cheer went up from all the second and third year students, with the first years joining in moments later. "Infernal Dragon, attack White Magician Pikeru!" As the Infernal Dragon was about to unleash its fire upon the magician, a chain suddenly whipped out and wrapped itself around its mouth. Pikeru then grabbed onto the other end to pull the dragon down.

"Kunai with chain; your monster goes into defense mode and my White Magician Pikeru gains five hundred attack points. And since your Infernal Dragon attacked, that means he goes away at the end of the battle." Indeed, the Infernal Dragon burst into flames, and the ashes were blown away in the wind.

"Well, it looks like you pulled one over me. Now let's see how you handle my Red-Eyes." Eva smiled as White Magician Pikeru activated her effect, recovering 400 life points for her.

"An apt choice of words, my Fubuking, because I just drew the card Mind Control, which will let me take control of your Red-Eyes Black Dragon." Invisible Threads wrapped themselves around the dragon and pulled it onto Eva's field. "Now don't worry, I'm not going to keep him; he goes back to you at the end of my turn, and I can't use him to attack or to sacrifice summon a monster. But for now, your field is empty, which means that when I summon my Sage of Silence, you'll take thirty-nine hundred points of damage!" White Magician Pikeru was joined by a woman in a light pink dress, and their cumulative magic left Fubuki's life points hanging by a thread. "Furthermore, because Sage of Silence did damage to you, you can't activate any spells on your next turn. And to finish my turn, I set one card."

As the Red-Eyes Black Dragon flew back to Fubuki, he drew his next card. There was a brief moment of silence.

"I'm sorry that it's come to this, Miss Nomura." A chill wind seemed to pass over the battlefield. "I was hoping that I could spare you from this monster, but your skill and prowess have forced my hand." A murmuring ran through the crowd.

"Always the showman," Asuka muttered to herself, "he always has to be like this when he summons that monster."

"What do you mean Asuka?" Judai could practically feel the terror that was emanating from Fubuki, so terribly unlike his jovial disposition.

"You'll see in just a moment." Fubuki then pointed his finger at the ground.

"To the depths of the deepest darkness, I offer to you my pride and soul, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, in order to summon forth the Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon!" A giant shadowy hand reached up from below the ground and grabbed the Red-Eyes Black Dragon and infused it with the full power of the darkness. Despite Eva's desire to stand bravely against Fubuki, she fell back in fear as the dragon changed; spikes grew along the length of its body, blood-red jewels grew at the joints, and the wings split apart, two becoming six. The Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon roared in pain as the hand of darkness withdrew itself. "Now, with every dragon that dwells in the grave, Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon gains three hundred attack points." The souls of each dragon could each be seen into one of the blood-jewels that decorated the dragon's body, and with four such jewels shining ever brighter, Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon grew from 2400 attack power to 3600.

"But, that means that my Call of the Earthbound, it doesn't matter if I activate it or not!" Fubuki smiled, a cold and terrible thing.

"No, it really doesn't, since no matter which of your monsters I attack, you lose either way. And thank you for telling me what you're trap was. I was planning to wait until I could be sure of your trap's true nature, but since you were so generous, I'll let you experience my dragon's true power. Darkness Giga Flame!" Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon breathed out a dark beam of fire and obliterated the aspiring princess and the life points it had been tasked with protecting. Despite the intense heat of the dragon's flame, Eva Nomura was shivering.

"You…you…" Fubuki walked over to her, his face back to its normal warmth.

"I'm real sorry that you didn't win, because you're really quite good. Maybe we could go over what you could have done instead and-!" He stuck his hand out to help her up, but she slapped it away and got up on her own.

"I can't believe you, you freak! How could you string me along like that and then do this to me!" Eva ran out of the dueling hall, and her friends followed after her. As the other students started filing out, most could be heard saying that Eva was being a drama queen, while a rare few sympathized with her. Once the spectators were all gone, Fubuki returned to his sister and her friends.

"Honestly brother, do you really have to act like that when you summon that monster?" Fubuki just laughed.

"I'm sorry sis, but I've got to get into character, and that's the kind of guy who'd summon Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon; someone who'd give up their very soul for a rush of temporal power. Really, it's quite tragic." Fubuki noticed the strange looks that he was getting from everyone, even Manjoume. "Well, it would be tragic if it were real. You can't deny that, right?"

* * *

"Huh, so that's what Fubuki is like in a duel; I've got to be honest Asuka, I didn't think that he had it in him to be so…cruel about it." Asuka took one last sip of her tea before responding.

"Sometimes I worry about that brother of mine, Manjoume. He may say that it's all part of the performance, but one day he's going to really anger someone; someone who's going to give him a taste of his own medicine, and I just hope that when that happens that he's ready for it."


	8. Chapter 8

To Pass or to Fail, That is the Question!

"Principal Samejima, you said you wanted to see us?" Principal Samejima had a stern look on her face as she peered at Judai and Shou from across the desk; despite the fact that the boys were standing and she was sitting, their eyes were perfectly level, and while part of this was due to the height of the chair, most could be attributed to Samejima.

"I have spoken with Professors' Chronos, Hibiki, and Daitokuji, and what they've told me regarding your progress over the last month concerns me. Shou!" The teal haired boy stood at attention. "While your papers have for the most part been good, verging on exceptional at times, your dueling record has persisted in being quite lackluster; in fact, your dueling records indicate a slight regression, as opposed to the progression that you should be achieving. Judai!" Now it was the brown haired boy's turn to be at attention. "When on the field, your dueling is not only exceedingly skilled, but also highly creative. Yet it seems that once you take off your duel disc and have to work with pen and paper, your skills take a leave of absence; in fact, they take with them much of your drive and will, which leaves your papers not merely technically lacking, but also uninspired. Though I should note that your first paper for professor Hibiki is a glowing exception to this trend, but otherwise you've been failing quite dismally at your academics." Judai laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Well it sounds like you've got us pegged! I'm guessing that you've got a plan in mind to 'whip us into shape' right?" Samejima eased up on the boys as she chuckled.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. The professors and I have determined that the best approach would be a collaborative one; that is to say that if you can pass a joint test and a joint duel, then you may continue your time here at Duel Academia. However, if you fail either of these, then you will be expelled from the island; that may seem rather harsh, but if it were up to Professor Chronos the two of you would already be expelled, and this was the only compromise that he would accept. Now then, you have two days to prepare yourselves; I suggest hitting the books first, since your grades are worse then his dueling record."

"Don't you worry Principal Samajima! We'll pass your tests and make you proud! Come on Shou we've only got two days to get ready so let's get started now." The two aspiring duelists bowed before their Principal before departing, and mere moments later, Principal Samejima's cell phone started ringing. So she answered it.

"Would you like to play a game?" Principal Samejima didn't recognize the voice at the other end, which was considerable cause for concern; only the other professors and staff possessed the Duel Academia issued cell phones that were able to reach her.

"Who is this? And what sort of game?" The voice kept its neutral tone.

"For reasons that I can't divulge, I can't tell you who I am, but as for the game, its just a simple guessing game; if you win, I'll tell you who I am and how I was able to reach this number, but if I win, you have to fulfill a request of mine. The choice to accept the challenge is yours to make, and I'd like to remind you that the only way to lose is to accept my challenge." For all that the voice clearly enjoyed speaking, it was an infuriatingly neutral one; Samejima couldn't even discern the speaker's gender or age, something that didn't seem all that possible, but it was intriguing.

"All right, but let me have three shots at getting the answer."

"Very good. Now then, what is it that you can't know? If you fail on the first guess, I'll give you another clue." Something you can't know? Considering that they were at Duel Academia, there could only be one answer.

"The next card that I will draw."

"A good answer, but not the right one; your second clue is that the answer is the same for everyone." The same for everyone? Perhaps the voice wasn't being specific to duelists. In that case…

"What tomorrow will bring."

"Another good answer, but not my answer; the final clue is that the answer is something that you don't want to know." Something that no one could know or want to know; there was only one answer that Samejima could come up with.

"The time and cause of my death."

"I'm sorry, you didn't get the answer right; it's time now for your penalty game." Penalty Game! Samejima knew that she had to act quickly, for if the voice was serious then there was no telling what sort of…Samejima looked down at her cell phone and wondered why she had it out; she was far too busy to make any extraneous calls. Then she brought up the opponents that she'd chosen for Judai Yuuki and Shou Marufuji, Kanako Egawa and Hisao Irie, and replaced them with Junko Makita and Momoe Hamaguchi. This adjustment having been made, Samejima attended to the rest of her work for the day.

* * *

"Hey Shou, it's been three hours now, can't we take a break? If I don't clear out my mind at least a little, my heads going to explode like the guy from that movie. You know, the one where the guy's head explodes?"

"Bro, I kept letting you take breaks yesterday, and you kept running off to duel other students and fell way behind on your studies. Now come on, these dueling puzzles should be really easy for you. Take a look at this one and tell me you can't figure it out." A dueling puzzle was a scenario in which you were given a specific set of cards on the field, in the hand, and a certain amount of life points for yourself and the opponent. The idea being that you then had to figure out how to defeat the opponent in one turn, or else you would lose. For most students, it was a way to help them to learn strategy and figure out ways to combine cards in new and unexpected ways. For Judai though…

"I just don't get it! I mean, you heard Principal Samejima yesterday; she said that my dueling was really creative, but when I look at this paper, nothing comes to me. At this rate we won't even make it to the duel before I fail this test." Shou didn't want to admit it, but he was pretty exhausted too; he'd figured that it would only take a little effort to get Judai to become, if not a scholar, then a good student at the least. However, after a day and a half of studious efforts, it really did seem as though Judai had some sort of mental block that kept him from learning from books and papers.

"Hey Judai, hey Shou. You guys really look like you could use a break." Judai and Shou looked up and over at Asuka, who was accompanied by Junko and Momoe. Shou coughed nervously before speaking.

"Well, we were just talking about taking a break. Judai insisted that we keep studying, but if you ladies think that we ought to rest our minds, I can't argue against that." Judai looked at his friend quizzically, but he couldn't muster the strength to say anything about it. As he sat back in an effort to relax, Junko picked up the Dueling Puzzle that he'd been trying to work on and showed it to Momoe.

"Well, will you look at that? Judai is having trouble with basic problem seven." Then Momoe turned towards Judai.

"I heard that you were having problems with your academics, but I never thought it was this bad. You better pull yourself together, because it would really suck if we won by default."

"Hey! Bro isn't dumb! He just has a hard time with books, but when he duels he's a genius!" Judai started waving down at Shou.

"Take it easy Shou, I can take it." Then to Momoe. "I just hope that after tomorrow I can get you to change your minds about me." Junko reined her friend back.

"Well, I hope for one that you do pass your test; our duel should be most exciting. Come on Momoe, let's leave the poor boy to study so that he can stand a chance tomorrow." The two Ra Yellow girls departed the Osiris Red dorm, leaving their Obelisk Blue escort behind.

"Sometimes I have no idea what those two are thinking…but anyway, it really is a problem if you can't solve this dueling puzzle; this one is called the give-me problem for a reason. If you like, I can try and help you with your academics, and Misawa and Manjoume can help Shou with his dueling; it would be more efficient then the two of you trying to do this on your own." Shou sat up.

"Do you mean that? Mr. Misawa and Mr. Manjoume really will help me with my dueling?"

"Of course; they told me that they could see your potential, and they wants to make sure that you have the chance to develop it. They're going to be at the main dueling hall all day, so you'll be able to get lots of practice in." Shou bowed before Asuka before rushing off to the main dueling hall. Asuka then took his seat and faced Judai with an incredibly stern look on her face.

"There's something I want you to know before we get started; I'm not just representing myself, but Misawa and Manjoume as well. You've defeated each of us, and we will not allow you to lose to anyone else, short of the Kaiser herself. So if I have to get blood from a stone in order to get you to pass tomorrow's written test, then that's what I'll do. Okay?" Asuka finished her question with a smile, and Judai knew that she really wanted him to pass, and doubled his resolve to study.

"So, you got any ideas on how to get the lessons through my head? Because Shou's tried everything that he could think of and none of it's worked." Asuka smirked internally; if it were any other boy but Judai, she had one option that would definitely have a 100% chance of success. Mind you, she never would use _that_ option, but it was a distinct sensation to know that it wouldn't even be there for her to reject.

"Well, have you tried this?" Asuka placed her deck down on the dueling puzzle that Judai had been trying to solve and drew the top card, Kuriboh, which instantly drew all of Judai's attention towards it. "How long has it been since you used something other then your Elemental Hero deck?" Judai took his eyes off the card and looked at Asuka, and scratched his head in contemplation.

"Well, it was about two years ago that Kouyou gave his deck to me, and before that I had my own version of an Elemental Hero deck that I'd spent another year trying to beat him with. So, I guess about three years all together." Asuka took a moment to muse on this.

"All right Judai, here's what we're going to do; we're going to go down to Mrs. Tome's shop and buy as many boosters as we can and put together as many different decks as we can from that. If we're lucky, we'll still have time left over to get in some practice duels, and by the end of the day you should be able to think in terms of cards other then your own." As Judai joined Asuka to head for the card shop, the word 'creative' ran through his mind when he looked at her. Wouldn't it be something if that was his problem with the books all along?

* * *

"Mr. Misawa, Mr. Manjoume, I'm not sure that this is helping me prepare for tomorrow's duel." Manjoume and Misawa took a moment to look over at Shou, away from their duel, the third of three matches. Of course their monsters, Akaoni and Light and Darkness Dragon, didn't respond to this shift in attention.

"Shou Marufuji," Manjoume said with an air of impatience, "Asuka asked us to help you prepare for your duel alongside Judai tomorrow, and I should think that observing a three match duel between two duelists of such caliber as ourselves would be most educational." Shou kept his head dipped down low as he replied.

"Well, it's just that you two seem more interested in beating each other then helping me. If this was just about me, I wouldn't want you guys to drag yourselves down to my level, but I have to be able to help Bro in tomorrow's duel, and the last thing I'd ever want is to let him down again." Then Shou turned to Misawa and raised his head. "I know you said that it was a good thing that I kept going in our duel, but I need to be able to do more then to want to help Judai!" Misawa sighed and deactivated his Duel Disc.

"He's right Manjoume; we got caught up in our duels, simple as that." Manjoume didn't say anything, but his response of reluctant acceptance could be read on his face. "All right Shou, how do you want us to start off?" Shou smiled as he put forward the areas that he most felt he needed improvement in, and so Misawa and Manjoume adjusted their dueling accordingly.

* * *

"Thank you Miss Tome you were a big help!" The heavyset woman who ran Duel Academia's card shop laughed as Judai and Asuka bowed before her. The two duelists had spent a great deal of their dueling credits that the data crystals on their Duel Discs had stored from their numerous victories on the dueling field and had boosted business by quite a bit, true enough, but it was a bit much.

"Oh, you don't need to do that; I treat all my customers the same way. Though I will admit that the sentiment is truly appreciated; still, I'm a little surprised to see you here Judai." Judai stood up from his bowing posture.

"Why's that?"

"Well, since you have Kouyou's deck, I didn't think that you'd ever need to make adjustments to it; but then again, this game is always changing, and what was once the deck of a champion could become little more then a pile of cards with pretty pictures after a single rules revision."

"Did…did you know Kouyou?" Out of the corner of his eye, Judai noticed that Asuka had suddenly found what would have to have been a fascinating article in the latest 'Modern Duelist' magazine. He smiled inwardly, appreciating the privacy that she'd offered to him. Then Miss Tome responded, drawing his attention back to her.

"I wouldn't say that I knew him well, but I was the president of the 'Kouyou Hibiki Fangirl Association', and I did get to meet him a few times as Duel Academia was being built. He took the time to try to teach me to duel properly, but I just never had the talent. But thanks to him, I stopped thinking of this store as a source of employment, but as my home away from home, and all of you students are like my family in a way." Judai laughed a little.

"Yeah, that does sound like him all right. He was always encouraging everyone around him. Course it took him a long time to get through to me, but I think it worked out in the end." The customer and the store owner shook hands, separated by generation and gender, but connected through the mutual bond of the duel. Then Judai and Asuka departed to make their way back to the Osiris Red Dorm.

"By the way, you didn't have to go out of your way like that; I mean, I'm not saying that it wasn't a nice thing of you to do, but it's not like my past is a closed book or anything." Asuka chuckled a bit at Judai's grammatical construction.

"It just seemed appropriate to give you some space. That conversation could have easily turned embarrassing, and I didn't want to overhear anything to personal."

"Come on Asuka, you know I don't have anything to hide; most of the time I just haven't thought of mentioning it yet, that's all." Not for the first time, Asuka found herself impressed by the sheer honesty behind Judai's words. It was this honesty that allowed her to relax around him, something she previously could only do around her brother, and she liked being able to relax; it meant that she could reserve her strength for when she needed it.

* * *

"Are you sure about this Shou? Because once we get started, there won't be any turning back." Shou nodded at Misawa and Manjoume.

"I'm certain about this Mr. Misawa. I need to know how to handle multiple opponents, and this will be the fastest way to learn how." Manjoume shook his head at Shou.

"Yes, but usually it's the weaker side that gets multiple duelists in this sort of situation. To be honest, this is too lopsided to be any use for you Shou."

"That doesn't matter Mr. Manjoume. If I can last even two turns against you, then I'll be able to stand by Bro's side and really help him out. Now let's hurry, we don't have much time left." Manjoume and Misawa armed their Duel Discs, and Shou responded in kind, determined to project as much determination into his eyes as possible.

"Let's duel!"

* * *

"Well, it took a lot longer then I expected, and I'm probably going to have to use makeup to cover up my baggy eyes in the morning, but I think we managed to really accomplish something." Judai was looking down at his dueling puzzles in disbelief; he'd solved them, he'd actually solved them.

"Thanks Asuka, you're a lifesaver! But I still can't believe that you stayed this late just to help me. I owe you one, big time!"

"Well, if that's how you feel, then how about this; you're not allowed to lose to Manjoume or Misawa until _after_ I've managed to defeat you in a real duel. I mean, not that I didn't enjoy using these decks to test you, but they don't really count." Judai and Asuka looked over the dozen decks that they'd spent the past several hours constructing and testing; at first Judai had been hopeless without his trusty Elemental Heroes, but by the time they were done he'd managed to figure out how to use half the decks that he'd created with fair proficiency. After that, it was a much simpler matter then it used to be for Judai to solve Dueling Puzzles.

"Well, I wasn't exactly planning to lose any duels before now, but I promise you now that you'll be the first at Duel Academia to best me in a real duel!" The two of them clasped hands, solidifying their promise, just as Shou came back to the Osiris Red dorm.

"I'm sorry Bro! I didn't mean to interrupt! I'll wait for you back in our room, and I won't say anything to anyone, no matter what!" Shou then dashed up the stairs, leaving behind a confused Osiris Red and an exasperated Obelisk Blue.

"Sorry about that Asuka. I'll let him know it wasn't anything like that. I mean, it wouldn't be right for me to cause trouble for you after all the help you've provided for me today, right?" Asuka turned to Judai with a smile on her face.

"Don't worry about my 'reputation' right now. You need to get some rest so that you can take all this hard work we've done and put it to good use."

"All right Asuka, I'll see you tomorrow." As Judai made his way back to his room, he didn't notice the way that he subconsciously rubbed the hand that had clasped Asuka's hand.

* * *

"I have to admit, I'm a little surprised that you aren't taking this opportunity to tease her. It seems like this should be a prime opportunity for you." Fubuki shrugged his shoulders at Ryoko.

"She's had a long day, and though I doubt that anyone else would see it, she's definitely still worried that Judai could be expelled tomorrow, and that's not something to tease someone over. Mind you, once it's certain that Judai will be staying on the island, then I can tease her all I want about how she spent half the day at his side. But not one second before then." Ryoko nodded at Fubuki, and idly wondered whether she would have treated Shou the same way if their genders were reversed. She sincerely hoped not.


	9. Chapter 9

The Day of the Dual Duel

"Man, can you believe that we're getting this kind of audience Shou?" When Judai and Shou had arrived, they'd only expected to find the Duel Academia staff and their friends in the stands. However, it seemed that near half the school was in attendance; Judai recognized the faces of everyone he'd dueled, and guessed that the same applied for Shou. There were also those who'd clearly come to see Junko and Momoe, and it even seemed like there were those in the audience who were there because Asuka, Manjoume, and Misawa were there. Even Fubuki and Ryoko were in attendance. Principal Samajima then stood up and addressed Judai and Shou.

"I would like to congratulate you two for making it this far. The written exam was set to a high level, but the two of you overcame it with flying colors! Now, before we begin the duel I would like you to…"

"Wait! What is the meaning of this!?" Everyone's eyes turned towards a pair of first year Obelisk Blue students; it seemed like they were both male, but there were some decided feminine aspects to their features that made it hard to be certain. The lead student spoke out to Samejima. "Why are those two dueling Judai and Shou? We were the ones who signed up to administer this exam, and we've just now found out that we were replaced by them!" The lead Obelisk Blue jabbed his/her finger at Junko and Momoe, who looked at each other confusedly.

"We're sorry about this, but Principal Samejima…"

"Shut up! We weren't talking to you!" The second Obelisk blue barked out at the Ra Yellow girls, and turned towards Samejima. "We know that you must have made a mistake, so why don't you dismiss them and let us take over this duel." Principal Samejima frowned as she looked upon the two insubordinate Obelisk Blues.

"Kanako Egawa, Hisao Irie; all though I find it regrettable that you were not properly informed of the change in plans, your attitude here, not merely to me but to your fellow students, demonstrates the wisdom of this decision. Unless you apologize to Junko and Momoe this instant, I will have you removed and your records will be marked accordingly." Kanako and Hisao were livid as they glared at Junko and Momoe.

"Apologize? To them? Why the hell would we do that?" The two spoke as one now. "They don't even belong at Duel Academia!" Principal Samejima pulled out her cell phone and brought in the security moments later. The two Obelisk Blues were dragged away, Kanako by a male security member who he accused of being a 'freaky pervert', while Hisao was dragged by a female security member who he accused of being a 'stupid twit'. Principal Samejima cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention back to her.

"I must apologize for their behavior everyone; I assure you all that appropriate measures will be taken to make sure that that does not happen again. Now, Professor Chronos de Medici will explain the special rules for the Joint Duel." The head of the Obelisk Blue dorm stood up and cleared his throat before addressing the assembled duelists.

"The Joint Duel operates much like a standard duel, with the following variations; each team alternates member to member and none may attack until all players on both sides have completed one turn, each side shall have eight thousand life points instead of four thousand, you may activate spells and traps on your partners behalf, and you must clear both of your opponent's fields in order to perform a direct attack. The rules now having been made clear to everyone, let the duel begin! Oh, and Junko and Momoe? Don't feel that you need to hold back against Judai and Shou just because they're Osiris Red; feel free to crush them beneath your heel." Professor Hibiki pulled Professor Chronos down to his seat, and silenced him with an ice-cold glare, much to Professor Daitokuji's amusement.

Then Junko coughed. "If nobody minds, I'll start the duel. First I summon Bountiful Artemis in defense mode." With a flash of light an almost angelic figure appeared on the field; though patterned after an angel, it was in truth a statuesque being, its shimmering white body decorated by glowing green crystals and three wing-like shells flanking both sides of it. As it descended onto the field, it brought those wings in front of it, giving it 1700 defense points. "And now I set one card to end my turn. Your turn, Shou." Shou looked upon the faceless monster that Junko had summoned, and was determined to match it.

"I summon the Magical Exemplar in attack mode." A woman in a green dress lined by pale runes appeared in front of Shou, and despite her formal and regal bearing, her 1700 attack points told everyone that she was not to be trifled with. "And now I play the spell card, Card of Safe Return, and with Magical Exemplar's effect she gains two spell counters." Unfortunately for Shou, Card of Safe Return fizzled out and exploded.

"That would be interesting, except that I activated Magic Jammer to negate your card. And while I had to discard a card to activate the effect, Bountiful Artemis's effect allows me to draw a card whenever a counter trap is activated." Bountiful Artemis glowed green as Junko drew a new card.

"…I end my turn." Shou couldn't help feeling disappointed; the duel had just started, and already his strategy had been countered. But then he looked over to Judai, and while he couldn't see his hand, his face told him all he needed to know.

"My turn!" Momoe drew her card and began her phase of the duel. "First I set a monster, and then I play a spell card, Goblin Thief." A rotund goblin suddenly rushed past Judai and Shou from behind them, pushing a massive cart over to Junko and Momoe, delivering the 500 life points it had stolen from Judai and Shou to Junko and Momoe. As the Goblin vanished, two of the runes that adorned Magical Exemplar's dress began to glow, the visual representation of the two spell counters that Momoe's spell had given her. "Next I set one card, and end my turn." Now it was Judai's turn, and soon the duel would begin in earnest.

"All right, first thing's first; I play the spell card E-Emergency Call to add Elemental Hero Stratos to my hand and then I summon him on to the field in attack mode. Next I activate his effect to destroy your face down card Momoe." As Stratos gathered his power, it suddenly flipped over and landed on his head, instantly breaking into a million pieces.

"I activate my counter-trap, Pulling the Rug. When your monster attempted to activate his effect, that effect was negated and he was destroyed. And don't forget that Junko gets to draw another card, thanks to Bountiful Artemis's effect."

"And don't forget that thanks to E-Emergency Call Shou gets two more spell counters for Magical Exemplar, and I'm not done yet. Because now I play O-Oversoul to special summon Elemental Hero Stratos back from the grave and now I activate his other effect to add Elemental Hero Woodsman to my hand. Now I set two more cards, and end my turn." Now the duel could begin in earnest. Junko drew her card, restoring her hand back to six cards.

"First thing's first; I play the field spell card, The Sanctuary in the Sky!" The entire field became surrounded by clouds, and just behind Junko was a temple floating in the air. "So long as this card is on the field, I can't suffer any damage in a battle involving a fairy monster; so now when I summon Shining Angel and have him attack your Magical Exemplar, I take no damage." A four-winged angel descended from the temple and flew at Magical Exemplar, who promptly destroyed with a quick magical blast. "Now Shining Angel's effect activates; when he's sent to the grave as the result of battle, I can special summon a light monster from my deck with an attack power of fifteen-hundred or less. I choose the Nova Summoner, who'll also attack Magical Exemplar!" Now a wreath with wings descended from the same temple, and it too rushed to its death against the Magical Exemplar. Then the sound of hoof beats began to ring throughout the dueling field.

"Now what's going on Bro?" Shou turned towards Judai, who was just as confused by this tactic as he was.

"It's very simple; normally when Nova Summoner is destroyed in battle, I can special summon a light fairy monster with fifteen-hundred attack or less from my deck; however, with The Sanctuary in the Sky, I can instead special summon a far greater monster, the Airknight Parshath!" An angelic centaur flew out from the sanctuary, armed with 1900 attack points. "Furthermore, Airknight Parshath has two effects; one is that his attack penetrates defense, and the other is that every time he deals battle damage, I can draw one card. Airknight Parshath, destroy Magical Exemplar!" The angelic centaur was about to bear down on Shou's Magical Exemplar, when Judai activated his trap.

"I activate Staunch Defender, forcing you to attack Elemental Hero Stratos!" The centaur turned on a dime and skewered Stratos on his sword, dealing 100 points of damage to Judai and Shou. "And now I activate my trap card, Hero Signal, to special summon Elemental Hero Ocean from my deck." Junko then looked at the card she just drew.

"Well, it looks like you'll jump through the hoops to keep Shou safe. End turn." Judai then turned to Shou.

"Don't worry Shou I know that you can defeat that Airknight Parshath. Just take a look at Magical Exemplar if you don't believe me." Shou looked at Magical Exemplar; eight of her runes were glowing now, overflowing with power.

"Here I go!" Shou drew his next card. "First I activate Magical Exemplar's effect, removing two spell counters to special summon the level two Apprentice Magician." As two of Magical Exemplar's runes faded, a young man leaped out from out of nowhere, wielding a rod and dressed in a manner not unlike that of a J-Rock star. "Apprentice Magician's effect allows me to add a spell counter to Magical Exemplar, and now I sacrifice him to summon Magical Marionette!" Apprentice Magician lobbed a ball of light to Magical Exemplar, and then vanished in a flash of light and was replaced by a masked figure in red cloak, shining threads connecting his fingers to a tiny knife-wielding marionette. "Now I equip Magical Exemplar with Fairy Meteor Crush, which means that not only does Magical Exemplar gain two more spell counters, but Magical Marionette gains one too, and his spell counter raises his attack by two-hundred points to twenty-two hundred."

Now nine of the runes which adorned Magical Exemplar glowed brightly, and with Fairy Meteor Crush her attack could tear through an enemy's defense power and continue to do damage. "All right Shou, I knew you could do it! Now go on and show their monsters whose boss!" Spurned on by Judai's encouragement, Shou ordered Magical Marionette to destroy Airknight Parshath, and once the knife-wielding puppet landed on the angelic centaur's head, it didn't stand a chance. Then he directed Magical Exemplar to attack Momoe's face down monster, hoping that its defense would be low enough for him to damage her; as Magical Exemplar's attack tore through Momoe's monster, the Ra Yellow team took 600 points of damage, but the hideous laughter of the dying Mystic Tomato didn't encourage Shou.

"Thank you Shou, I couldn't have asked for better timing; you see, when Mystic Tomato is destroyed in battle, I can special summon a Dark monster from my deck with fifteen-hundred attack power or less. This is the monster I choose." It arose from a pool of darkness; a pale blue-skinned demon with shadowy wings and vicious claws, and most disturbing were what seemed to be some strange cross between tentacles and serpents growing out of its shoulders.

"Momoe, I thought we discussed this; you promised that you weren't going to use that card in this duel. I know that it's powerful, but couldn't you choose something not quite so…hideous? It's not like Duel Monsters is lacking in monsters that are powerful and beautiful, as my deck is testimony to."

"Junko, not in front of the crowd; we'll talk about this in private, okay? Now let's just hurry up and win." Judai looked away from the arguing girls and towards Shou, who seemed unreasonably afraid of the monster. That is, it seemed unreasonable until he remembered one of the duel puzzles that he'd done not more then an hour ago, which featured the use of the Legendary Fiend's effect to raise it's own attack power by 700 points on the player's standby phase. It seemed that just as Junko worked around the limits of her monster's capabilities, so had Momoe.

"…I end my turn."

"Don't worry Shou, it can't get more powerful then your Magical Marionette, and all we have to do is cast a few more spells to destroy that thing." Momoe shook her finger at Judai.

"I know that you mean well, but you shouldn't make promises you can't keep." Momoe drew her card, and the Legendary Fiend filled with power, raising its attack power to 2200. "For you see, Legendary Fiend's attack power will rise even higher; I summon the Winged Minion and sacrifice him to raise Legendary Fiend's attack power by another seven hundred points!" A tiny little horned devil flitted in front of the Legendary Fiend, and for its troubles it was torn apart by the tentacle-serpents, raising its attack power to a staggering 2900 points. "Now, my powerful beast, attack Magical Marionette!" Shou's monster tried to fight back, but the Legendary Fiend tore apart the threads that connected it to its puppet, and then it tore apart him as well for 700 points of damage. "That's my turn. You're up Judai." Despite the viciousness of the assault, Judai could hear the challenge in Momoe's words; she wanted to see if they could best her monster, and he didn't want to disappoint her.

Unfortunately, he didn't have the cards he needed yet, but hopefully he would soon. "All right, first thing's first; during my standby phase I activate Elemental Hero Ocean's effect to return Elemental Hero Stratos from the grave to my hand, and now I summon him once again, and this time I'm going to use his first effect in order to destroy The Sanctuary in the Sky." Elemental Hero Stratos generated a fierce wind that cleared away the clouds and the temple, restoring the field back to its original condition. "And now I play H-Heated Heart on Elemental Hero Stratos. Go Stratos, destroy Bountiful Artemis." Empowered by the flames of justice and free of the defense of the sanctuary, Elemental Hero Stratos destroyed Bountiful Artemis and did 600 points of damage to the Ra Yellow team. "To finish things off, I'm putting Ocean in defense mode. All right Junko, let's see what you've got."

"All right then; first I remove from play Shining Angel and Nova Summoner in my grave to special summon Soul of Purity and Light." A female angel appeared, and seemed to be draping herself around someone. "Next I summon Meltiel the Sky Sage and equip her with Cestus of Dagla." Another angel appeared, this one surrounded by a glowing halo and armed with a pair of beautiful but deadly golden cestuses. "Now, Soul of Purity and Light will attack Elemental Hero Stratos, while Meltiel will attack Magical Exemplar." The Soul flew away from its invisible charge and disintegrated Stratos with a flash of light for 200 points of damage, while Meltiel sliced Magical Exemplar in two, using the power of her cestuses to add the 400 points of damage it did over to Junko and Momoe's life points. "Now I set one card, and end my turn."

Shou set a monster and a card without saying a word. Momoe then summoned another Winged Minion and sacrificed it to her Legendary Fiend, giving it another 1400 attack points and bringing it to a total of 4300 attack points. It then ripped apart Shou's monster, the Dark Elf, and Momoe ended her turn. After drawing his card and returning Elemental Hero Stratos back to his hand, Judai examined the field, and he realized that Junko and Momoe had gone out of their way to leave Ocean on the field; that meant that they had to be ready for him summoning Stratos. Fortunately enough, Judai had drawn just the card that he needed.

"I play R-Righteous Justice to destroy Junko's face down card." Momoe swore in a most decidedly unladylike fashion as Junko's card, Forced Back, was destroyed. Not only would it have sent Elemental Hero Stratos back to Judai's hand, Meltiel's effect would have given Junko and Momoe another 1000 life points. "Now that that's taken care of, I summon Elemental Hero Stratos in defense mode, and use his power to add Elemental Hero Ice Edge to my hand. That's all for me." Shou was surprised; even Judai couldn't go on the offensive in this situation. This wasn't lost on Junko.

"I'll bet you plan on using Elemental Hero Ice Edge's ability to keep yourself safe until you can mount a counter offensive; unfortunately that won't work. First I summon Harvest Angel, and next I equip Legendary Fiend with Fairy Meteor Crush!" Legendary Fiend began to glow with the same power that Magical Exemplar once possessed as a new angel appeared, this one a golden armored man with an ancient horn in hand. "Harvest Angel, attack Stratos. Soul of Purity and Light, attack Ocean. Meltiel, attack directly!" The first two angels attacked without incident, but when Meltiel was about to rush forward when a familiar monster appeared to intercept.

"I activate my trap card, Limit Reverse, which allows me to special summon a monster from my grave with 1000 attack points or less, in attack mode." The Apprentice Magician stood bravely against Meltiel's assault, but he too fell just like Judai's heroes. However, as Junko and Momoe recovered 1700 life points from the battle damage Meltiel dealt, another monster appeared on Shou's field in face down defense mode. "When Apprentice Magician is sent the grave as the result of battle, I can special summon a level two or lower spell caster from my deck in face down defense mode." Momoe smirked.

"That may be the case, but you forget so quickly that my Legendary Fiend can tear through your defense without issue. So go ahead, set whatever defenses you want; I'll still beat you both."

Shou hated to admit it, but he was hesitant to draw his next card; he knew that if he could just get Judai one more turn, then he'd be able to get the card he needed to win the match. Shou couldn't explain his faith in Judai; after all, not only did Legendary Fiend have 4300 attack points, but Junko and Momoe had 9400 life points, while he and Judai had only 4400. Yet his faith in Judai withstood this, and Shou drew his card. It would have to be enough. "I set two cards, and end my turn." Momoe glared at the cards Shou had just set, but once she drew her card, she was all smiles."

"First I summon and sacrifice a third Winged Minion, raising Legendary Fiend's attack power to fifty-seven hundred, and now I equip him with Trap Charm, rendering him immune to the effects of all traps. Legendary Fiend, attack and finish this duel!" As the Legendary Fiend rushed forward, everything seemed silent; even the audience seemed to stop breathing at this decisive juncture. Then a fierce wind broke through the field, and even though the second Apprentice Magician was destroyed, Judai and Shou's life points were still safe, and a third Apprentice Magician was on the field. Momoe was gaping at this seemingly impossible outcome.

"I activated my trap card, Urgent Spell. It allows me to activate a spell card on my field as though it were a trap, and my spell card was Giant Trunade!" Junko and Momoe looked at their hands', and indeed both Fairy Meteor Crush and Trap Charm had returned to them. "As you can see, this means that your attack did no damage, and you're going to have to wait until your next turn to try again. But you won't get that chance, because my Bro is going to beat you on his turn." Junko and Momoe looked at Shou with wide open eyes.

"You're kidding, right? Legendary Fiend is already more powerful then anything that Judai can summon, and it's just going to keep getting stronger and stronger. But there's no sense in waiting around, so let's find out. Come on Judai, let's see if you really do have the God Draw that everyone says you have."

Judai could feel it, the pressure of everyone's eyes on him. There'd been pressure on him before, but nothing like this; he could barely raise his hand to his deck, the weight was so great. He knew what he needed, but there was no way to make sure that that was the card he got, wasn't there? Oh well, only one way to find out. Judai drew his card, and looked at it; it was the card that Asuka suggested that he add to his deck during the tutoring session yesterday. Who would have thought that he would draw it at a time like this? Well, there was nothing to do now but to play it.

"I discard the card I just drew, King of the Swamp, in order to add Fusion to my hand, and I play that to fuse Elemental Heroes Woodsman and Knospe into Elemental Hero Gaia!" A huge heavily armored figure with massive knuckled guards crashed onto the field. "He might only have twenty-two hundred attack points right now, but he can take away half of one of your monsters' attack points and add them to himself, and he's going to target Legendary Fiend!" Elemental Hero Gaia smashed his fists into the ground, creating a huge rip in the ground that seemed to target Legendary Fiend with a huge uprising of rock. Legendary Fiend's attack power dropped down to 2850, while Gaia arose to 5050.

"That's pretty powerful, I'll grant you that, but it only lasts for one turn, and I can assure you that my hand has everything I need to defeat him and win this game." Judai smiled.

"Oh, but you haven't seen anything yet; by removing H-Heated Heart, E-Emergency Call, R-Righteous Justice, and O-Oversoul from play in my grave, I can play the spell card HERO! Flash!" A rush of energy seemed to overflow Elemental Hero Gaia's very being, and he moved with such alacrity that it had to be seen to be believed. "HERO! Flash gives one Elemental Hero on the field the ability to attack every monster on the opponent's field, and that includes Junko's monsters too." And, as the card's name suggested, Elemental Hero Gaia flashed from one monster to next, using it's considerable power to do well more then enough damage to bring Junko and Momoe to zero life points.

Another brief silence fell over the crowd. Then Judai's friends started cheering, and they were shortly after followed by Hibiki, Daitokuji, and Samejima. Before long all were cheering at the incredible play that Judai had made, and he made sure to convey to Shou how thankful he was that his friend gave him the opportunity to make such a play. Overwhelmed by the emotion overflowing the arena, the two boys hugged in jubilation, and then turned back to their opponents; Junko and Momoe were facing each other now, with harsh looks on their faces. Junko then launched her fist into Momoe's hand, and Momoe did the same in return. Then they started laughing.

"All right Junko, I'll stop over-relying on Legendary Fiend." Then Momoe turned to Judai and Shou. "I didn't expect us to lose, and I definitely didn't expect to learn something from all this. The two of you were like a sword and a shield, each one acting to protect another; Junko and me, we were more like two swords, too focused on the offensive to protect each other properly."

"I wouldn't go that far." Judai scratched his head. "I mean, you two were doing great together, and your strategy was…what's the word I'm looking for Shou? Impe-something?"

"Impeccable?"

"That's it!"

"You know something Judai?" Junko stepped forward. "You're the kind of opponent where even if you lose, you still feel like a winner. That said, one day we're going to have a rematch, and next time we'll break that record of yours." Junko and Momoe then stepped of the platform, and Principal Samejima addressed Judai and Shou.

"Judai, Shou, in recognition of your accomplishments today, both academically and on the field, it is my considerable pleasure to announce that classes shall be suspended for the rest of the day. I'll see you all tomorrow!" Principal Samejima began making her way to her office while Professor Chronos followed behind her, protesting her decision. These protests were drowned out by the cheering of the students, many of whom rushed out right away; after a short time, only Judai and his friends were still in the arena, and as Asuka, Manjoume, and Misawa made their way down from the stands, Judai brought Shou up to them.

"Thanks a ton guys; without your help I don't think that we could have made it this far, so we really owe you one." Manjoume grunted and looked slightly away.

"Just keep in mind that if you'd been forced to leave, then I wouldn't have the chance to even the score. But if you want to read more into this, then go right ahead, because it's not like I could stop you, right?" Judai just smiled.

"Don't worry buddy, I read you loud and clear!" Then Judai turned back to Shou. "Come on, let's go find Hayako and give her the good news!" Shou nodded and the two duelists dashed off in search of their friend as Asuka smirked in amusement at Judai. Misawa, despite his best efforts, couldn't entirely conceal his displeasure at this latest development, but he did refrain from saying anything.


	10. Chapter 10

The Perfect Duel

Judai's life points dropped to zero as he himself collapsed to his knees. Kaiser Ryoko stood over him, a slightly disappointed look on her face.

"As I had suspected, your skills are still too underdeveloped at this time. But, there is a glimmer of potential to you, so don't give up all hope just yet." Kaiser Ryoko then turned and walked away. Judai found himself rising to his feet, and he looked to his side to find that Asuka was pulling him back up.

"Come on Judai, let's get you back to the Osiris Red dorm; Shou and Hayako are waiting for you." If Judai had been aware that he hadn't been listening, he would have apologized right away; as it was, it had been a while since he'd lost a duel, but for the life of him he couldn't remember being defeated so completely and absolutely before. As he listlessly followed behind Asuka, he found himself recalling the events of the day; there was little else his mind would accept as worthwhile consumption.

* * *

"Hey Hayako, what're you working on there? It looks interesting." Hayako looked up at Judai and gave him a slight smile.

"Oh, this was just a sketch I was working on. You know how Industrial Illusions holds regular contests for new card ideas? Well, I've decided to stop beating around the bush and actually submit something. I know I probably won't win, but as you reminded me, I need to play the game first to have that chance. In fact, why don't you take a look at it and tell me what you think?" Hayako stood up and back, giving Judai a clear view of her sketch; it was a chaotic affair that featured the Felgrand Dragon, Tyrant Dragon, and Darkblaze Dragon in battle with the Archfiend of Gilfer, the Skull Archfiend of Lightning, and the Imprisoned Queen Archfiend, and the whole thing taking place over a broken landscape of islands floating in the sky.

"This is a sketch? It's incredible Hayako! I mean, how did you come up with something like this anyway?" Hayako couldn't help blushing, despite her best efforts to the contrary.

"Well, to be honest, it's based on a dream I had last night. My dad was dueling with this huge guy, almost as tall as him but way bigger around, and this was how the dueling field looked just as I woke up."

"That's right, your dad uses the Dragon Lord cards, doesn't he? Is your dream based on a duel he was in?" Hayako shook her head.

"As far as I know, he's never gone against someone who used an Archfiend deck. Still, it feels like something that really happened, you know what I mean?" Hayako then stared intently at her sketch, wondering what it meant. That was when Shou rushed into the room with a shocked look on his face.

"Bro, you're not going to believe this; Kaiser Ryoko, my sister, she wants to duel you!" Judai turned away from Hayako and rushed over to Shou.

"Really? You mean that? That's awesome! When does she want to do it, and where?" It took Hayako a moment to realize that Judai was no longer focused on her sketch; when they first met she would have responded by snorting angrily, but now she just shook her head wistfully and resumed working on the illustration, and followed the conversation between Judai and Shou out of the corner of her ear.

"She didn't say where the duel would take place, but she said that you were to arrive at the eastern side of the lake near the Obelisk Blue dorm at seven this evening, and she would take you to the real site of the duel then. And she also said…she said that you were to come alone! Neither Hayako nor I can come to support you. That was her condition for the duel." Judai then started to look gloomy.

"She really said that? Well that sucks; I guess I'll just have to tell you guys all about it afterwards!"

"You mean you're really going to duel the Kaiser? But bro, there's no way you can win, not now anyway. I know you're really strong bro, but my sister, she's perfect. Every duel she's ever been in has been perfect. That's why they call her the Kaiser."

"And don't think that Shou is speaking out of familial pride Judai." Hayako looked away from her incomplete illustration. "I've seen her duel just once, last year. It was about a couple of months before the end of the year, and the top first year Ra Yellow challenged her, saying that he wanted to break her record as Kaiser. Kaiser Ryoko took the first turn, and crushed him before he even had a chance to take his turn. It was such an overwhelming defeat that the Ra Yellow boy dropped out of Duel Academia on the spot. That's the kind of duelist that the Kaiser is, Judai. I wanted to let you know, because…I'd really rather you didn't leave Duel Academia." Judai walked over to Hayako and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Relax Hayako, I'm not going to leave just because of one duel. I just want to see how strong she is, so that I know how far I have to go to reach the top here. You'll see, everything will be just fine."

It was still several hours before the designated time, so Judai holed himself with his deck and carefully went over it, making sure that every card was the ideal card he needed for the duel; if Kaiser Ryoko was capable of one-turn kills, then he had to make sure that his deck would move as fast as it could to keep that from happening. There were also several times when Shou offered to provide information on his sister's deck, but Judai refused; after all, it wouldn't be fair to take advantage of familial connections, and even when Shou pointed out that since she'd witnessed their duel with Junko and Momoe and his duel with Professor Chronos that she'd know all about his deck, he still refused Shou's information. In truth, Judai's motives had less to do with sense of fair play, and more to do with not wanting to spoil the mystery of Kaiser Ryoko's deck too early.

* * *

"You know, I knew you would come. Manjoume said that it would be because you wouldn't know any better, but we both know what he really means, right Judai?" Asuka was standing right at the spot that Shou's instructions said that Kaiser Ryoko would be, but the Kaiser wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Um, not that it's not a nice surprise to see you or anything, but where's Kaiser Ryoko? Shou said that she'd be showing me where the duel was going to be." Asuka smiled at Judai, and stuck her arm out into a sweeping motion towards the woods. It took a moment, but Judai recognized the area that Asuka was indicating. "Hey, that's where we dueled, isn't it? That's quite a coincidence, huh?" Asuka then shook her head and started frowning.

"It's not; Kaiser Ryoko chose that spot to remind me of how I lost to you." Asuka then motioned to Judai, telling him to start walking with her. "Do you recall that girl who dueled your friend Hayako, Misa Watsuki?" The distaste on Judai's face was plain to see, even in the dim sunset light. "Well, after the duel, Kaiser Ryoko had her demoted down to Ra Yellow; according to what I've heard, Kaiser Ryoko thought that her conduct in that duel was disgraceful and not proper for an Obelisk Blue. And while she hasn't said anything about it, it's clear that she thinks that I threw our match to get out of my brother's challenge." Judai looked at Asuka with wide open eyes.

"But that doesn't make any sense at all! You fought really hard to win; I mean, I don't think I've dueled anyone who was as determined to win as you, and there's no way you'd ever throw a match for any reason. And if that's what the Kaiser thinks, then she's wrong and I'll have to show her the truth!" Judai then brandished his duel disc in a display of bravado that Asuka found rather uplifting.

"Well, you'll have your chance to show her in just a little bit. Just remember that she's called the Kaiser for a reason, and don't feel too bad if you do lose." Judai flashed a grin at Asuka, and they were silent as they made their way to the familiar copse, and when they arrived, they saw Kaiser Ryoko. She looked to be meditating, thought it wasn't like the kind that Judai would see in the old kung-fu movies that Kouyou liked to bring over to watch; this was less peaceful and more martial. Then the Kaiser opened her eyes.

"Judai, Asuka, you've arrived." The Kaiser spoke in even tones that betrayed no emotion at all. Even so, Judai could feel a simmering animosity towards Asuka, and he found himself stepping in between them. "Do you think Asuka so frail that she can't stand before me?" Judai was taken aback.

"Of course not, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stand by and let you treat Asuka like that." And suddenly, Judai couldn't feel any more animosity from the Kaiser, and in an imperceptible manner Kaiser Ryoko's features seemed to soften.

"You are as Asuka had described you to be. Asuka, thank you for enduring me; I know that it was difficult, but it was necessary to see Judai's character. As for you Judai, I am now certain that you have the potential to face me, but I wish to learn how far you have to go to develop that potential." Judai then looked back at Asuka, who seemed much more relaxed then before.

"Sorry to make you worry like that Judai, but Kaiser Ryoko insisted. You understand, right?"

"Not really, but so long as things are okay between you two, than I don't mind. Kaiser Ryoko, let's have a fun duel!" Kaiser Ryoko smiled very slightly as she armed her duel disc, and Asuka stepped off to the side to observe the match.

"The challenger goes first, Judai. Let me see the power of your Elemental Hero deck for myself."

"All right then; first I summon Elemental Hero Woodsman in defense mode, and then I set two cards to finish my turn." Judai looked at the two cards that he'd set; Swamp of the Fallen would reduce an attacking monster's attack power by half, and Hero Blast would let him return a level four Elemental Hero from the grave to his hand and destroy a monster with less attack power then the Elemental Hero so returned. In other words, Judai had every confidence that he'd summon Elemental Hero Earth on his next turn.

"Judai, were you aware that while the kanji for four and death are diferent, they are pronounced the same way? My pronouncement for this duel, is that I shall defeat you on my fourth turn; I play the spell card, Ancient Rules, to special summon a level five or higher normal monster from my hand. I now summon the Dark Magician to the field." In an instant the lord of all spell casters descended on the field, his cold glare mirroring Ryoko's. "Next I sacrifice Dark Magician to special summon the Dark Eradicator Warlock." The Dark Magician began to change; his skin became deathly pale as his armored robes became even more elaborate and turned a dark red. The starkest change though was to his staff, which grew three horns that curved around a pulsating ball of power. Despite the stark change, Dark Magician Eradicator had the same attack power as the Dark Magician. "Now, I set one card, and end my turn."

"Wait, aren't you going to attack? Or are you worried about my facedown cards?"

"Not in the slightest; this is simply my handicap for this duel, so as to give you a fair chance of winning. It's your turn Judai." Judai was confused; how could Kaiser Ryoko win without attacking? He determined that Dark Eradicator Warlock must have had an incredible effect, which meant that he had to destroy it as soon as possible.

"All right then, I use Elemental Hero Woodsman's effect to add Fusion to my hand, and next I summon Elemental Hero Stratos to add Elemental Hero Ocean to my hand. Here it comes, Kaiser Ryoko, my mightiest hero, Elemental Hero Earth!" It happened just as Elemental Hero Earth crashed onto the field; the Dark Eradicator Warlock shot the ball of dark energy in his staff at Judai, dealing 1000 points of damage to him.

"That is Dark Eradicator Warlock's effect; every time a normal spell card is activated, you will take one thousand points of damage. Since you started with four thousand life points, that means four spells to bring about your 'death' in this duel." Judai was knocked back by the warlock's power, but he wasn't fazed in the slightest.

"Yeah, but don't forget Elemental Hero Earth's effect; I sacrifice Elemental Hero Stratos to raise Elemental Hero Earth's attack power by his!" Now armed with his magma swords, his power exceeded that of the warlock's by a large margin. However…

"I activate the trap card, Negate Attack." A barrier that warped space itself appeared before the Dark Eradicator Warlock, and nothing that the Elemental Hero Earth did could get past it. The battle came to an end with no result.

"That…that was perfect! You really do deserve to be called the Kaiser, Ryoko. Well, I'm going to have to end my turn now." Kaiser Ryoko smirked, very slightly. Then she looked over at Asuka.

"You were right Asuka; he really does keep a positive attitude, no matter how bad the situation may look." Then back to Judai. "It's actually refreshing to face such an honest duelist, so please don't take your inevitable defeat too hard." Judai laughed a little in response.

"Don't talk too soon Kaiser Ryoko; after all, the duel isn't over yet."

"But now it's one step closer; I play the spell card Gather Your Mind, which allows me to add another Gather Your Mind from my deck to my hand." There was a brief aura of power around Kaiser Ryoko as her card activated, and the Dark Eradicator Warlock took the residual energy of that aura and blasted it at Judai for another 1000 points of damage. "Now, I can only activate one Gather Your Mind per turn, so I set one card, and end my turn." This time Judai had been sent reeling by Ryoko's power; the only other time he'd ever been in a duel like this was when he had dueled Koyou Hibiki that one last time. But he swore to himself that this time would be different.

"Now I'm going to summon Elemental Hero Voltic and sacrifice him to Elemental Hero Earth. Attack with Magma Slash!"

"Waboku." Three maidens appeared before Dark Eradicator Warlock, and their holy prayers guarded him against Elemental Hero Earth absolutely. Once again, Judai's attack had been blocked.

"I suppose it would have been too much for that to have worked. I set one card, and end my turn." Kaiser Ryoko started looking at Judai in a way that resembled concern if it had been on anyone else's face.

"If I didn't know better, I'd worry that you were beginning to falter, Judai. But I know you can take this. Gather Your Mind." For a moment, it sounded to Judai like the Kaiser was giving him a command, but the Dark Eradicator Warlock's magic made it clear that this was not the case, and it sent him reeling. "Now I set one card, and end my turn." As he steadied himself, Judai happened to look over at Asuka, right in her eyes; there was something about the way that she looked back at him, something that made him want to win even more then he usually did. Judai didn't really understand this sensation, but he went with it anyway.

"I summon Elemental Hero Heat, and now I activate my trap card, Elemental Recharge!" A surge of energy rushed out from the Elemental Heroes and into Judai, giving him back 2000 life points. "Now, I sacrifice Heat to Earth, and attack once again!"

"Mirror Force." This time Elemental Hero Earth was out and out destroyed. But after the dust settled, Judai still had that look of confidence that never wavered.

"Now I set one card, and end my turn." As Kaiser Ryoko drew her next card, it was almost as though the motion of her arm displaced a huge gust of wind.

"You almost did it Judai; I have no doubt that if I were to attack you now, that you would be able block the attack and destroy Dark Eradicator Warlock. But…you were unable to prevent your defeat this turn; I play the spell card, Monster Reborn." A flash of light, and the Dark Magician reappeared, and the Dark Eradicator Warlock used his power once more. "Next I play the spell card, Dark Magic Attack." The Dark Magician destroyed Judai's face down cards in flash of black magic; Swamp of the Fallen, Hero Blast, and his fallback, the Flute of Summoning Kuriboh. Normally Judai would have chained Flute of Summoning Kuriboh to Dark Magic attack, but faced with the absolute defeat that he was about to receive, he didn't want his favorite card to see him lose; it was silly, but on occasion he liked to imagine that there was a spirit in his Winged Kuriboh, and he didn't want to risk that being true.

"And now I finish this. Gather Your Mind." It was right then that it hit Judai; he never stood a chance against her, not even to scratch her. As his life points dropped to zero he collapsed to his knees. Kaiser Ryoko stood over him, a slightly disappointed look on her face.

"As I had suspected, your skills are still too underdeveloped at this time. But, there is a glimmer of potential to you, so don't give up all hope just yet." Kaiser Ryoko then turned and walked away. Judai found himself rising to his feet, and he looked to his side to find that Asuka was pulling him back up.

"Come on Judai, let's get you back to the Osiris Red dorm; Shou and Hayako are waiting for you." If Judai had been aware that he hadn't been listening, he would have apologized right away; as it was, it had been a while since he'd lost a duel, but for the life of him he couldn't remember being defeated so completely and absolutely before. He trailed behind Asuka for a time, and when they reached the boundary of the woods, he stopped. Asuka sensed this and turned to face him.

"Asuka…I'm sorry. I just, I don't know, everyone, Shou, Hayako, and you, you all tried to warn me, but I didn't…never mind. I'll see you tomorrow, okay Asuka?" She waved goodbye to him, and wondered whether she'd ever looked so down after losing a duel; the way she figured, if she had then she'd know exactly what to say to get Judai back to his old self, the way he had done for her.

* * *

"Well, this is a bit of an inconvenience; while it was it was necessary for him to lose the duel, if the eighth duelist loses his will altogether, then the Shadow Games can't reach their full potential. Now let's see, what can be done to correct this oversight?" The speaker then looked over the files, and found one that looked promising. "Yes, that's right, the Duel King will be arriving on the island in just a few days, and while he is yet beyond my power, he will bring many guests with him, and this one should prove ideal. Now to get to work, and smooth things over on to the right track again."


	11. Chapter 11

Battle of the Generations: To Overcome that Wall!

"I suppose I really should get to class." Judai didn't get up; he was dressed, his deck and books were in place and all that there was to do was to get up and go. But for the third time in as many days, Judai couldn't manage it. He hadn't even set foot outside the Osiris Red dorm after returning from his duel with the Kaiser, despite everything his friends had tried; on the first day, Shou had tried to reassure him by telling him about the time that he'd dueled his sister and how it took him over two months to be able to pick his deck up again, and how he knew that his 'bro' would recover much, much faster then that. Judai thanked Shou for his time, but he still didn't go to class.

During dinner of that same day, Misawa came by the Osiris Red dorm; he tried to point out that statistically speaking Judai couldn't really always get 'just the card' that he needed, and that it would be unseemly for his rival to let his inner fire to go out like this. That was when Asuka came by to bring Judai her notes from class, at which point Misawa seemed to falter in his focus to raise Judai's spirits; this was most evident when Asuka apologized for interrupting Misawa, only for Misawa to suddenly stand straight up and loudly declare that she wasn't interrupting at all. Then Misawa dropped back to his seat, briefly muttered to himself, and said out loud that he had to resume his studies before carefully walking out the Osiris Red dorm.

Asuka only stayed with Judai for a short while; if not for the stupor that Judai was in, he would have noticed that she'd kept starting over and over again in her efforts to reach him, and that this meant that she was unused to this sort of thing. But since he didn't notice this, Judai simply waited for Asuka to try to say what she didn't know how to say; eventually, Asuka just told him that there was always next time, and she left shortly thereafter. Several minutes after that, Judai realized how rude he'd been, and though he wanted to apologize, he just kept seeing himself back in the woods, completely ineffectual. His dreams that night were filled with the sounds of all his friends being mocked for losing to him, he who couldn't do even one little thing against Kaiser Ryoko.

The day after that, he heard Manjoume just outside the Osiris Red dorm; he was yelling at Judai to show himself, to stop acting like a coward and to duel him right then and there. Judai couldn't say anything, and Manjoume became incensed. He then barked out numerous slanderous words against Judai and marched off, openly declaring that Judai ought to just drop out like the no good Osiris Red that he really is. As Manjoume walked out of sight, Judai thought for a moment that he saw Junko and Momoe making their way to the Osiris Red dorm, but they never showed up.

And now, on the third day after that duel, Judai realized that if he couldn't get himself to get to class, then he may as well drop out; if he couldn't handle this one defeat, then he clearly wasn't cut out to be a duelist, despite everything that Kouyou and Midori had told him when he was younger. He reflected on all the duels he'd lost to Kouyou, and how those duels had always made him even more enthused for the next one. He thought about how his friends were trying to help him, despite how stupid he was being about the whole thing.

That was when he heard his DA PDA beeping, and despite the fact that he rarely ever used it, he opened it up and looked at the message that he'd been sent.

"I just wanted to remind you that the Duel King, Yuugi Mutou, will be at the main dueling hall in thirty minutes to deliver a guest speech. I just hope that this will help you to cheer up."

Judai stared at the message, not really noticing that Hayako was the one who'd signed the message. Instead he was overcome by an intense desire to hit himself, overcome by an overwhelming sense of just how stupid he'd really been. How could he have forgotten about this? Judai leapt up off his bed and dashed out the door, hoping that if he ran at top speed the whole way that he'd be able to get there before the legendary duelist left. In fact, Judai was so blinded by his renewed sense of eagerness that just as his destination came into sight he came within a few centimeters of barreling into a young girl. He paused to give the girl a slight bow.

"I'm sorry about that, but I'm really in a hurry!" However, as he tried to run past her, she stepped right into his path. Judai made a couple more efforts to get past her, and she repeated her efforts to stop him.

"You look strong; I want to duel you!" Judai paused to look at the girl; she seemed to be about eight years old or so, and had some of the wildest dark brown hair that he'd ever seen, and he idly wondered if she'd ever seen a brush before in her life. Then he remembered himself.

"Look, Miss…"

"Asuna."

"Miss Asuna, I'm Judai, and I'd love to duel you any other time but I need to get in there right now; the Duel King is going to give a speech and I can't miss it for the world." Asuna just shook her head at Judai.

"Then you're just going to have to beat me in a duel, unless you want your 'Duel King' to think that you're a coward who's afraid of a little girl. Well, are you?" Her words bit deeper then Judai would've liked to admit; he'd been given a challenge and if he tried to run from it, what right would he have to see Yuugi? Judai steeled his will, and hoped that he could win this duel quickly.

"All right, let's duel!" As Asuna armed her duel disc, Judai noticed that it was an old Battle City style Duel Disc; was one of her parents a participant in that tournament? Judai shook his head; speculation later, dueling now!

"I'll go first, and I summon Sekhmet's Sphinx!" A glowing leonine creature with an elaborate headdress appeared on Asuna's side of the field. "And because she's a Sphinx monster, I can sacrifice her to special summon Exxod, Master of the Guard!" The Sphinx vanished in a sunburst of light, and was replaced by a towering golden statue of a pharaoh, looking not unlike the legendary Exodia and easily seven meters tall, and with 4000 defense points he certainly qualified as 'Master of the Guard'. "Your turn, Judai."

Judai drew his card and reviewed his hand; he didn't have anything that could break through Asuna's defense this turn, but if all went according to plan he wouldn't have to. "I summon Elemental Hero Woodsman in defense mode, and end my turn." Asuna peered at Elemental Hero Woodsman.

"Hmm, so you use an Elemental Hero deck? This won't be a problem at all. I activate Sekhmet's Sphinx's special effect; once per duel, I can special summon her back from the grave, but at the end of the turn she's removed from play. Sekhmet Sunlight Burst!" A miniature sun flared on the field, and from it emerged Sekhmet's Sphinx once more. "And now I sacrifice her once more to summon a monster in face-down defense position. I set one card, and end my turn. Oh, and by the way, when Exxod is on the field, and I flip-summon a rock monster, you take one thousand points of damage. Just thought I'd let you know." This girl was really confident, but Judai had a good idea of what monster she'd just summoned, and he knew that he'd have no problem defeating it.

"Here I go Asuna!" And with the next card he drew, he activated Elemental Woodsman's effect to add Fusion to his hand. "First I play Fusion, sending Woodsman from the field and Ocean from my hand to summon Elemental Hero Earth! Next I summon Elemental Hero Knospe, and then I activate Hero's Bond to special summon two more!" Elemental Hero Earth crashed onto the field, and the three Elemental Hero Knopses sprouted from the ground. "Now, my Elemental Hero Knopses will attack you directly for eighteen hundred points of damage; Seed Canon Barrage!" The budding heroines dashed across the field past Exxod and attacked Asuna, who skipped back and forth to avoid getting hit, though she still took damage anyway. "And now Elemental Hero Earth will attack your face down Guardian Sphinx!" As Judai's monster approached her face down monster, it flipped face up to reveal a statue of a powerful sphinx, but with only 2400 defense points it wouldn't survive the battle. Except…

"That's exactly what I expected you to do, right down to using Elemental Hero Earth; I activate my trap card, Sphinx's Devotion!" Just as Elemental Hero Earth brought its fist down onto Guardian Sphinx's head, it seemed to transform and become as diamond, and so it was Elemental Hero Earth's fist that was broken. Then the Guardian Sphinx raised its paw and smashed Judai's monster. "For this turn, my trap card makes all Sphinx monsters immune to destruction, and any monster that attacks them is destroyed after the damage step."

"…End turn." Even though he'd failed in his immediate goal, he'd still made progress in his plan to destroy Guardian Sphinx; after all, Asuna would have to leave it in attack mode at the end of her turn, and his Elemental Hero Heat would be able to overcome the Guardian's 1700 attack points.

"My turn, Judai. First I use Guardian Sphinx's effect to flip him back into face-down defense mode, and then I flip summon him into attack mode; with his effect and Exxod's effect, you take one thousand points of damage and all your monsters are returned to your hand." As all three Elemental Hero Knopses were swept back into Judai's hand, Exxod shot a beam of light from between his hands and blasted Judai. "Now Guardian Sphinx, attack directly!" The Guardian Sphinx raised its paw and brought it down onto the ground, directing the resultant shockwave at Judai. "And to finish things off, I play Book of Moon, to return Guardian Sphinx back to face-down defense mode. Now my turn's over. See, I told you your Elemental Heroes wouldn't be a problem!"

The girl was confident; Judai had to give her that, especially since she was perfectly equipped to defeat any Elemental Hero that he summoned. But he couldn't give up; no, he wouldn't give up! "I play the spell card, Graceful Charity!" Judai discarded two Elemental Hero Knopses to the grave, and set the three cards he just drew. "Now I summon Elemental Hero Knospe in defense mode, and end my turn."

Asuna grinned a cocky grin. "Oh, like that little flower's going to do you any good? I flip summon Guardian Sphinx once more." As Elemental Hero Knospe leaped back to Judai's hand, he took another blast to the chest, dropping him down to 300 life points.

"Sorry Asuna, but you can't count my Heroes out yet; I activate Flute of Kuriboh Summoning to special summon Winged Kuriboh onto the field." As Winged Kuriboh appeared on the field, Asuna's eyes became wide with shock, which she quickly concealed.

"You think that little fur ball will protect you? Let me show you where you're wrong; I play Cost Down and discard one card to summon without sacrifice Chthonic Sphinx!" This sphinx had an earthen body, like it had emerged from the ground and formed itself from the dirt. "And now to activate Chthonic Sphinx's effect, I discard one card from my hand; Chthonic Embrace!" The Chthonic Sphinx grabbed a ball of dirt from the ground and threw it at Winged Kurboh, forcing its wings to cling to its body. "Now Winged Kuriboh's effect is negated, and your life points will still be vulnerable after its destruction. Go Chthonic Sphinx, crush Winged Kuriboh so that I can finish this!"

"Sorry Asuna, but Winged Kuriboh is here to win the day; I activate my spell card, Berserker Crash! It gives Winged Kuriboh attack power equal to one monster in my graveyard, and I choose Elemental Hero Earth!" The afterimage of Elemental Hero Earth overlaid itself over Winged Kuriboh, granting it 2500 attack points, more then enough to best Chthonic Sphinx for 1100 points of damage. Asuna stared at the newly empowered Winged Kuriboh, with slack jawed awe.

"Wow..." Then she shook her head. "Eh, its not that big a deal. That attack boost will be gone by the end of the turn, and I'll just use Guardian Sphinx's effect to finish you off then."

"Well then, its a good thing for me that you're not going to get a second turn; I now activate my trap card, Staunch Defender! Since you declared an attack, All your face-up Monsters have to attack Winged Kuriboh too!" Despite Asuna's protests, Guardian Sphinx leaped after Winged Kuriboh, and was smacked down for 800 points of damage, and then Exxod tried to attack, but it was clear that Winged Kuriboh could have bested it with its own power, much less with Elemental Hero Earth's power backing it up, and so Winged Kuriboh rammed through Exxod, leaving behind an Elemental Hero Earth shaped hole, and leaving no life points left for Asuna, who was so transfixed by the attack that she didn't dodge Winged Kuriboh and was knocked onto her back.

"You won…dang, now Mom and Dad won't let me transfer to Duel Academia." Then Asuna flipped up and landed gracefully on her feet. "Oh well, if you're an Osiris Red, then the duelists here must be really, really tough. Maybe next time…"

"Umm, I'm really glad that we got to duel, but I need to get in there now and…"

"Mom! Dad!" Judai now looked past Asuna, who was now rushing away from him, and he saw a huge crowd of students following behind two people; one was a graceful looking woman with short brown hair, and standing next to her, slightly shorter then her, was the Duel King himself, who'd just been tackled by Asuna.

"No way…you mean…I was dueling HIS daughter?" Asuna giggled as Yuugi ruffled her hair, to no effect on its unruly state. Judai had then realized that all his friends were just behind them, and for a moment he felt deeply embarrassed; who would want to apologize in front of not only a huge crowd of peers, but in front of their greatest hero ever?

"I trust that my little princess didn't go easy on you, right?" Judai found that there was an ageless quality to Yuugi's voice, as though part of him was always young and part of him was always ancient.

"You should have seen her; she had me on the ropes the whole time, and if it hadn't been for the Winged Kuriboh that you gave to me, there's no way I could have won." Then the woman at Yuugi's side raised an eyebrow at Judai, and he found himself suddenly self-conscious in her presence, and found himself wishing that he were slightly taller; as it was, he only just reached her head.

"Yeah, you definitely look like a Mazaki woman's put you through the wringer; what's your name kiddo?"

"J…Judai Yuki. It was a real pleasure to duel your daughter, and I only wish you guys could have seen her; really, you would have been proud of her." Then Yuugi stepped forward; he held his daughter in the crook of one arm, and he wrapped his other arm around his wife.

"Well Judai, it's good to see that you're growing up to be a fine duelist; your friends were worried about you and wanted me to talk to you, but I think you'll do just fine with their help." He was about to walk away then, but stopped. "Incidentally, could I take a look at your deck Judai? I'd like to see what you've managed to put together." Judai nodded mutely as Yuugi let his daughter back down, unable to speak as one of his idols examined his deck, one card at a time. He cycled through the entire deck, then removed one card in particular, which Judai made sure that no one else would see. "It looks like your deck isn't quite complete Judai. Have you offered Asuka a trade for her Kuriboh?" Judai was slack jawed, and Asuka stared wide-eyed at Yuugi.

"How, how'd you know?" Yuugi smiled, and for a moment, Judai could have sworn that he saw something reflected in Yuugi's eye that wasn't there before. But that passed, and his eyes were their normal purple hue.

"Judai, I'm the Duel King. I can tell. More importantly though, I think you have an apology to make." Then, to everyone else. "It was wonderful to meet you all, and I hope that we get the chance to do it again." Then he and his family departed, leaving Judai behind to accomplish one last task.

"…I'm sorry that I made you guys worry about me while I was being so stupid. We good?" Judai wasn't sure that he'd done it right; he was more drawing on old memories of a movie he'd once watched with Kouyou when he was little, rather then on any real experience. Still, when Asuka put her hand on his shoulder and smiled at him, Judai had the sense that he did okay. It seemed that everyone else was on board, even Manjoume in his own way.

"Just make it doesn't happen again." Manjoume made sure that he was looking away from Judai when he said this, but all the same Judai could see the relief on Manjoume's face, and he gave him a pat on the back to let him know it wouldn't. Which led to Manjoume going off on a rant about personal space, but that wasn't anything new.

* * *

"See, and you were worried that you'd crushed Judai's hopes and dreams; and don't tell me you weren't, because underneath that veneer of cool indifference is someone who wants to bring up her peers to her level, and not crush them so that they can't get back up." Kaiser Ryoko sighed.

"Since I can't tell you that, may I ask what point you're trying to make, Fubuki?" Fubuki flashed a grin, and made a motion as though he was going to wrap an arm around her shoulders; he didn't.

"Well, as it so happens I overheard a conversation between our esteemed professors, and it seems that they're finalizing the details of a school wide tournament. Apparently participation in the tournament will be restricted to the first and second years, but the winner will be able to make a request of the staff; tell me, my wondrous Kaiser, what do you suppose are the odds that Judai will emerge victorious and request a rematch with _you_?" Kaiser Ryoko couldn't fully suppress the smile on her face, so she just walked away. "That's all I needed to hear."

* * *

Author's Note: If you wish to learn more about how Yuugi and Anzu got together, then once again I will direct you to my "Rebirth of the Shadow Games" stories. I hope that everyone has been enjoying the story so far.


	12. Chapter 12

Rise of the Beasts: Power of the Promise!

"Attention all students; it is my distinct pleasure to announce that the preparations for the 'Whim of Fate' tournament are now complete." Since the Main Dueling hall wasn't quite large enough for everyone to fit into it, the entire population of Duel Academia was gathered outside; it was something of a legendary effort for the Student-Faculty Assistance organization to not only provide seating for everyone, but to arrange it such that everyone would have both a good view and be able to hear Chancellor Samejima without having to strain their ears. It also helped that Samejima was an expert at projecting her voice.

"I call it the 'Whim of Fate' tournament, because at every tier, your opponent will be randomly determined. With this ruling, you will be required to adapt to an uncertain and changing future, much as you will have to outside of this island; furthermore, at the conclusion of the tournament, the winner will be able to make a request of the faculty, which can range from a kiss from the fair lady Tome…" Miss Tome blushed slightly as a loud groaning emerged from the student population. "Or perhaps an evening with Professor Daitokuji?" The Professor in question didn't really seem to notice the suggestion that Samejima had made regarding his possible near future; he just looked upon the students blissfully as he stroked his pet cat Pharaoh. "Or even the chance to challenge the Kaiser for her title? For those that are chosen, consider carefully just where you're desires will lead you; those with weak wills will not be able to win. Now then, I believe that Professor Hibiki has the floor now?" Hibiki nodded and stood up; unlike Samejima, she had to make use of the sound system to make sure that all could hear her voice.

"First of all, this tournament is open to first years and second years only; in this way, the Junior students will have the chance to prove themselves, allowing the Senior students to see who will be here after them. Now, when the tournament proper begins, you will find that the data jewels on your duel discs will emit colored arrows; when this happens, follow the arrow to find the duelist whose arrow is the same color as your own, and that duelist shall be your opponent. Once the first tier has been cleared, each duelist will be re-randomized, until there are only eight left; At that point the tournament will be put on hold until tomorrow. However, before we begin, it is the consensus between Professor's Chronos and Daitokuji that an exhibition duel between 'Kaiser Ryoko' and 'Fubuking' be held, to help everyone get into the right spirit for the occasion. Come on up!"

Kaiser Ryoko sighed, but arose to much applause, cheering, and other fan-ish behavior, but once she arrived on stage, everyone had noticed something extremely odd; Fubuki was nowhere to be found! Even Ryoko seemed surprised at this realization, judging by the open eyed shock on her face, and what was once a murmuring among the students became a fully qualified rumbling. However, at some point Asuka had gotten up and retrieved the microphone from Professor Hibiki.

"Fubuki, I know that you're around here somewhere, waiting for the right moment to make your 'dramatic entrance'. However, if you don't get here within five minutes like a normal person, I will go to your room, open the compartment that you _think_ is hidden, and burn the contents." Asuka then returned to her seat, which as it so happened was right next to Judai.

"You wouldn't really burn his…what does he have hidden anyway?" Asuka stifled a small laugh.

"While I do have my guesses, I don't really know; in fact, I don't even 'know' that he has a hidden compartment. But what I do know is that my brother won't believe that he can afford to take that risk." One word came to Judai's mind; cold. He wasn't sure that he liked this side of Asuka, but hopefully when Fubuki made his way to the stage she'd stop being that way.

But five minutes passed, and Fubuki was still nowhere to be found. Another five brought no change, save that the audience was increasingly restless and hostile. After a third set of five minutes, Professor Daitokuji produced his own microphone and addressed everyone.

"I must sincerely apologize to everyone, as I was the one who originally proposed the exhibition match. I am entirely certain that Fubuki would be here if he could make it, and must therefore be somewhere peaceful and quiet. Therefore, I will organize a team to search for our wayward 'Fubuking', while everyone else may begin this unfortunately delayed tournament. Once again, my most sincere apologies to everyone, for being responsible, even if only in part." Professor Daitokuji bowed out and made his way to campus security. Professor Chronos then took the stage, using his own overly opalescent microphone to command the students.

"Since the exhibition duel has been cancelled, the tournament will begin in thirty minutes; I recommend you take this time to confer with your friends, before they become your enemies."

* * *

Judai, Asuka, Shou, Hayako, Misawa, Junko, Manjoume, and Momoe were all gathered together, in accordance with Professor Chonos's recommendation. Judai was the first to speak up.

"This is it guys; this is our chance to show everyone what we're made of. If we're lucky, we'll be the final eight who get to compete for the prize! So I want us to make a promise that no matter what, that we'll all make it to the finals." Judai stuck his hand out, and Shou followed shortly thereafter; Misawa and Asuka were next, but Misawa found cause to check his deck one last time, which by coincidence meant that Junko and Momoe had put their hands over Asuka's. Manjoume was…reluctant, but was ultimately nudged to go along, and with that Hayako completed the circle. After that, the data jewels on their Duel Discs activated, and they all scattered, each in search of their opponents.

* * *

"Man, whoever my opponent is sure likes hiking. If I have to go much further, I'll need to ask for a breather before the duel starts." At that very moment, Hayako was greeted by harsh laughter.

"So what do you know, fat-ass really is as lazy as she looks. Guess there's no more point in trying to claim it's a glandular condition, huh?" Hayako looked up where the voice came from, and it was Misa Watsuki, sitting on the branch of a tree. As Misa leapt down, Hayako quickly confirmed that she was indeed the duelist that had been chosen as her opponent.

"I, I can't believe that you…!" Hayako had heard the rumors, but this was the first time she'd seen Misa since the duel at the beach, and just as the rumors had said, Misa Watsuki had been demoted from Obelisk Blue to Ra Yellow. The new uniform didn't fit properly, evidence of her difficulty to adjust to new circumstances.

"You can't believe what? That you managed to drag me down one step closer to your level? I admit that it would be hard for you to believe, since that would be the first time you actually succeeded at something."

"What? I didn't try to get you demoted, I was just-!"

"Don't you lie to me bitch! You had arranged for Kaiser Ryoko to show up when she did so that she'd take pity on you and punish me for my rightful victory! You've always been jealous of me, for being better then you in every conceivable way, and you finally found a way to get your petty vengeance on me! I won't stand for it though; I will win this tournament, and return to my rightful place in Obelisk Blue! I know I will, because the goddess of victory, of the duel itself, has given me a sign of her approval; that is to say, that you are the first one that I will crush!"

Hayako couldn't believe what she was hearing, what she was seeing; for a long time Misa had been hostile and abusive towards her, but not like this. Misa had always been cool with her insults, calm with her abuses, but now there was a manic, almost frantic edge to her. Despite all inclination to do otherwise, Hayako was worried about Misa. She figured it probably came from spending so much time around Judai, yet somehow that didn't feel like the right answer.

"All right, we'll duel, but this ends now! We're not friends, and we never were, but I don't want to see you like this! If you keep feeling this way, it's going to tear you apart, so I'm going to win; I have a promise to keep, not just to myself, but to my friends as well, and now I have a new promise to keep as well. I'm going to surpass you, Misa Watsuki!" Misa threw her head back in uproarious laughter.

"Now there's a good one! This'll be what, the eight time we've dueled? And given the seven-zero record in my favor, I don't see things working out any different for you this time. Well guess what? I've got a promise to myself, that not only will I return to where I belong, but I'll cast you so far from Duel Academia that you won't even be able to hold onto the memory of this place. An animal like you doesn't belong here!" With that, Misa armed her Duel Disc, and Hayako did likewise. "I'll go first, and I summon Cyber Harpy Lady!" Just like her master, the Harpy's face was torn with rage. "Your move, pig!"

Hayako didn't understand it; she didn't feel scared at all, even though she knew that Misa was concealing the full extent of her power. "I summon Panther Warrior, and then I activate the spell card Heart of the Underdog." A humanoid panther armed with a powerful sword appeared on the field; despite its 2000 attack points, it required a sacrifice to attack, and Hayako had none to offer. "I set one card, and end my turn."

"It figures that just like you, your monster is too stupid to know how to attack; allow me to show you how it's done! I summon Harpy Lady One, and her effect raises the attack power of all Wind monsters on my side of the field by three hundred points. Cyber Harpy Lady, slay that pathetic mongrel!" Now possessing 2100 attack points, Cyber Harpy Lady clawed Panther Warrior in two for 100 points of damage. "Now Harpy Lady One, attack the pig directly!" Hayako smiled, which infuriated Misa even more. "What, have you gone masochistic on me you freak?"

"No. You see, when a Beast or Beast-Warrior on my side of the field is destroyed in battle, I can activate Green Baboon the Defender of the Forests' special effect and special summon him from my hand at the cost of one thousand life points." A huge hulking brute with a green face and black fur appeared where the Panther Warrior once stood, and with 2600 attack points, it was far more then the Harpy could handle.

"I see, so you've managed to learn one good trick, but it won't be enough to save you; I set two cards, and end my turn." Hayako wasn't imagining it; this time it _was_ different. She could feel her victory coming for her, and it was a sensation that she'd never had, at least not so clearly before.

"Now in accordance with Heart of the Underdog's effect, if I draw a normal monster, I can show it to you to draw an extra card. My first card is Mad Dog of Darkness, my next is Great Angus, the next is Wolf Axwielder, and the last one is for me to know. Next I summon Mad Dog of Darkness!" A feral dog with vicious claws and horns leapt onto the field, its eyes fill with bloodlust. "Mad Dog, attack Harpy Lady One and Green Baboon, attack Cyber Harpy Lady!" The dog leapt onto the Harpy and viciously mauled her for 300 points of damage, and Green Baboon grabbed Cyber Harpy Lady and squeezed the life out of her for another 800 points of damage.

"Not bad pig, even if you are just playing into my hand."

"I don't think so! I activate my trap card, Beast Soul Swap! I return a Beast monster from my field to my hand, and then I special summon another Beast of the same level. I return Green Baboon to my hand to special summon Behemoth the King of All Animals!" A massive primal animal appeared, a creature that was the paragon of all predators, and with 2700 attack points it truly deserved to be called the king.

"You, what the hell do you think you're doing?!? You can't duel like this, it's against the rules!" Misa's eyes were shaking as Behemoth snorted in her direction.

"Misa…attack directly, Behemoth!" The Behemoth bore down on Misa, and at the last second she acted.

"I discard one card from my hand to activate my trap card, Hysteric Party, which allows me to special summon all my Harpy Ladies from the grave." The Harpies flew back onto the field in defense mode, and so when the Behemoth crushed Harpy Lady One, Misa's life points were preserved. "You can try to drag me down to your level, but you'll never succeed; I'm better then you and I always will be! Well, aren't you going to finish your turn, you pig?" Hayako couldn't believe it, it had to be impossible; Misa was afraid!

"I set one card, and end my turn." Misa sneered at Hayako.

"And that's the last turn you'll ever have, ever! I play Pot of Greed and draw two cards. Next I play Tribute Doll to sacrifice Cyber Harpy Lady and special summon the level seven Harpy's Pet Dragon from my hand!" A regal red dragon with a chained collar appeared before Misa. "Next I discard Harpy Lady Two to activate my second Hysteric Party, and special summon all three Harpy Ladies!" As each harpy appeared on the field, they each tossed a new chain onto the dragon's collar, raising his attack from 2000 to 3200. "And don't think I'm finished yet you pig, because I summon Harpy's Pet Baby Dragon from my hand." A chick of a dragon joined its elder, chained in a similar but not identical effect as the larger dragon. "The first chain makes it so that my baby dragon is the only monster that you can attack. The second chain doubles his original attack, and with Harpy Lady One's effect that raises his attack from twelve-hundred to twenty-seven hundred. But that's not the important part! Because the third chain allows my dragon to destroy one card on your side of the field each turn. I'm going to destroy that eyesore of a monster that you call the King of All Animals!"

Hayako was used to being afraid of Misa, not of being afraid for her. "I activate my trap card, Dust Tornado; I can destroy one spell or trap card on your side of the field and then set one card from my hand, and I choose to destroy your Hysteric Party!" A dust devil appeared on Misa's side of the field, sweeping away both the Hysteric Party, but also all the Harpy Ladies that were summoned by its effect, and without them the Harpy dragons were reduced to their original power. Behemoth was unharmed.

"…Harpy's Pet Dragon, attack Mad Dog of Darkness!" Misa fought hard to keep her tears from escaping, Hayako could see that. But she had her promise to her friends, and she couldn't hold back, not even now.

"I activate the Quick Spell Card, Order to Charge! I sacrifice a normal monster on my side of the field to destroy one monster on yours; Mad Dog of Darkness, destroy Harpy's Pet Dragon!" The feral demon dog leaped onto the dragons neck and bit down deeply, unconcerned with the claws that were raking its back. In the end, both monsters were no more.

"…End…turn."

Hayako summoned the Wolf Axwielder, and held back her own tears as she called out her attacks; with no more then one Harpy's Pet Baby Dragon to protect her, Misa's life points were wiped out by the combined assault.

It was just then, as Misa fell to her knees and sobbed uncontrollably, that Hayako finally understood why it was that all the hate-filled insults that Misa had used against her had hurt so badly, and why it felt so bad to see Misa so miserable. Armed with this knowledge, Hayako ran over to Misa and tried to help her up.

"Come on Misa, the record is still seven to one, so you're still the better duelist over all." Misa slapped at Hayako's hand and jumped away from her.

"Don't you dare patronize me you…you…" Words failed Misa, and she ran as fast as she could, away from Hayako.

As Hayako waited for her Duel Disc to signal when her new opponent had been assigned, she drew a quick sketch of Misa in her Obelisk Blue uniform, and resolved to make it a reality.


	13. Chapter 13

Duel of Grace, Duel of Vengeance

"Um, excuse me, but are you my opponent?" Shou had diligently followed the instructions provided to him, but somehow he didn't think that they would lead to a girl holding what seemed to be an impromptu Tea Ceremony; true, she wasn't wearing a kimono, and there was no tatami mat, but everything else was there, and she was seated in the seiza posture, so Shou followed along and assumed the same posture before bowing to her.

"I am, but I am in no rush; I'd like to get a chance to learn about my opponent before we actually duel; my name is Aina Yamada, second year Osiris Red, and you are Shou Marufuji?" Shou nodded, and accepted the bowl that was offered to him; it was deep, the contents still warm. Shou found himself remembering the last time he'd participated in a tea ceremony, and how Ryoko was, as always, the picture of perfection and grace. He'd tried to emulate her, but he tried too hard, and ended up spilling the tea on his father. It was three months before he was able to leave his room, but his sister made it much easier when she smiled, and gave him a card that she said would reflect him best.

"Um, what do you want to know about me, Miss. Yamada?" Aina took a delicate sip from her bowl, and then she put it back down, exactly where it was supposed to go.

"I'd like you to tell me about the relationship you have with your sister, the Kaiser Ryoko, and the relationship you have with Judai, who you insist on referring to as 'bro'." Shou was getting worried; not because of the question, but because he wasn't sure how long he'd be able to maintain the seiza posture comfortably. Still, Aina didn't show any signs of discomfort, and he couldn't disrespect her by fidgeting or such.

"Well, my sister, Kaiser Ryoko, I know that she comes off as very cold and unapproachable; in fact, she kind of is that way, a lot of the time. But, what she really wants is to try and encourage people, to raise them up to her level. I think it's because otherwise she'd be very lonely, but since Mr. Fubuking befriended her when she first came to Duel Academia, I don't think that she ever has to worry about that sort of thing." Indeed, the first time that Ryoko had come back from Duel Academia, Shou had briefly wondered if someone had replaced his sister; it wasn't any obvious, surface features that had changed, but rather there was a spirit of contentment that hadn't been there before. It was the kind of contentment that came from finding an equal that you could respect, and while Shou was happy for his sister, he couldn't help but feel a little sad that he was still so far below her.

"I see, and what of Judai? To me, he looks like just another Osiris Red; sure, he's got more luck then most, but I don't really see anything special about him."

"Well…" Shou didn't understand why he hesitated; he should have been able to just say that Judai possessed an inner strength and confidence that he admired, that even when things looked there worst he always faced them with a smile. And even when he faced the Kaiser, his sister, he recovered in practically no time at all. Yet…

"Well what? It's rude to refuse to answer the host's question." Shou straightened up so suddenly that he almost fell onto his back; he was very lucky that he didn't.

"Judai is special, okay? He helps me to believe that I can measure up, that my sister won't have to carry the pride of the Marufuji name all on her own. That's why I think of Judai like a brother, because he's helping me become a better brother!" This time Shou did fall back, overwhelmed by the emotion in his own voice. He hadn't really thought about it like that before, but that was it.

"I think I understand you now, Shou Marufuji." Aina stood up and kicked aside the delicate bowls that they'd been drinking from. She approached Marufuji, with a decidedly negative cast to her face. "All you see is strength; the strength that you lack, and the strength that you desire. You think that this strength will bring you pride, admiration, and even happiness." Aina sighed, a sound full of…regret? "I'd hoped that you would understand that your sister needed to be defeated, and would be open to helping me accomplish this. But you are blinded by admiration, and can't see what kind of creature she really is."

"Creature?" Shou stood back up, and tried to face down Aina, which was fairly difficult as she was much taller then him.

"You claim that her power, her perfection, isolates her from others, and that this isolation makes her lonely. You say that she desires to raise others to her level, but you're wrong. Last year I was in Ra Yellow, and I was one of many who tried to challenge her. Surely she would have tried to encourage us after defeating us so soundly, if she truly was so interested in raising our levels; but she turned away, as though we weren't even there. As though all our efforts and hopes didn't exist, she silenced our dreams. So many of my friends dropped out after that, and I couldn't keep myself together to stay in Ra Yellow."

"You, you don't really believe that my sister meant to-!" Aina armed her Duel Disc in one smooth motion, like a samurai performing iaido.

"Why not? She doesn't want competition. She doesn't want anyone who could threaten her position of perfection, so she crushes anyone with the slightest bit of potential before they can. Then again, maybe she's getting sloppy; after all, Judai recovered his will after such a short time, so maybe her victory wasn't as perfect as rumored. Now then, although I had nothing personal against you before, I can now see that you're the same sort of creature as your sister, and it will be my pleasure to stop you before you have the chance to crush the dreams of others." There was only one thing that Shou could say in response as he armed his Duel Disc.

"Duel!"

* * *

"I wonder, Fubuki, are you laughing?" Kaiser Ryoko was in meditative posture, but her mind was not silent. "Have one of your fans finally captured you, and are they having their way with you? Or are they still going through the motions of their no doubt elaborate plans, wanting all the, what was the word, foreplay? Yes, foreplay, to be absolutely perfect?" Kaiser Ryoko was alone, so there was no one to hear her. "Or perhaps you are hiding somewhere in plain sight, as you are want to do, and are hoping that the champion of this tournament will request you as their prize. Then you would appear as though from out of nowhere, and whisk them away like a dream come true." Kaiser Ryoko frowned. Someone had come, interrupting her.

"Excuse me, Kaiser Ryoko, but we just wanted to let you know that the east side of the island has been thoroughly explored, and our teams are now moving to the north." Kaiser Ryoko didn't open her eyes for the security officer.

"If that is all, I'd like to resume my silence." Though she didn't see it, she knew that the officer bowed before leaving; the name Kaiser commanded such respect. She resumed her meditations, despite the unrelenting lack of silence in her soul.

* * *

"I'll go first! I summon the Silent Magician LV4, and end my turn." A small, childlike magician appeared, dressed in pale white, and while she only had 1000 attack points to start with, she would gain 500 every time Aina drew a card; shou had to admit that this wasn't the greatest opening move he could have made, but at the very least he'd be able to see his opponents strategy first.

"Draw." Even in this, Aina moved with incredible grace, but to Shou, there was something…forced about it. This was not only something that Aina had clearly spent a lot of time practicing; it was something she was very uncomfortable with. "I can see that you're not going to take this seriously. Allow me to show you the error of your thinking; I summon Susanoo, and equip him with the Cursed Yasa Magatama." A bolt of lighting struck the ground, and from that crater emerged a man with white hair tied back; in one hand he held a sword flowing with lightning, and in the other was an orb filled with a deep darkness that threatened to break loose at any moment. "Despite the fact that Susanoo has two thousand attack points, his effect will reduce the battle damage you will take by half. But, the with the Cursed Yasa Magatama, when he destroys your monster, you will take additional damage equal to one half your monsters attack points, and I will recover the same. Susanoo, attack with divine lightning slash!"

The god of the storms and seas was swift and merciless, striking down the Silent Magician in an instant, and with the corrupted artifact that he possessed, he drew in a fragment of the magician's soul, using the rest of it to smite Shou once more, dropping him down to 3000 life points while raising Aina's to 4750.

"Now, the final effect of the Cursed Yasa Magatama activates; once the battle phase is over, the spirit monster that was equipped with it is sent to the grave." The artifact shattered, no longer able to contain the darkness within it, and Susanoo was overwhelmed and drowned in the darkness. "Real power is something that's very difficult to hold onto; at least, without letting it corrupt you. But I will hold it for as long as it takes for me to get revenge on her, and show her that she can't just cast us aside so casually. …I set two cards, and end my turn."

Just then, Shou remembered what Hayako had said, about how the last year's top Ra Yellow student dropped out after trying to duel his sister, and he wondered…

"Aina…was, was the top Ra Yellow student last year…was he someone important to you?" Aina's eyes went wide with shock.

"Who told you…it doesn't matter. He's not here anymore, and he's never coming back. Besides, I have many friends that I need to avenge, not just him. Now hurry up Shou, the sooner I can turn you away from the Kaiser, the better!"

Maybe it was a coincidence, but for a moment, Shou felt as though he was in his sister's thoughts, and it was just then that he drew the card that she'd entrusted him with. "I summon Maha Vailo, and equip her with Twin Swords of Flashing Light and Shooting Star Bow!" A woman seated in the lotus position, dressed in an elaborate and ornate blue robe, appeared before Shou. She held out her hand, and a beautiful crystalline bow materialized in it, and on her back appeared a pair of thin but deadly swords. "Maha Vailo's effect raises her attack by five hundred for every equip card equipped to her; Twin Swords reduces her attack by five hundred, but allows her to attack twice, and Shooting Star Bow reduces her attack by one thousand, but allows her to attack directly."

In short, Maha Vailo would be able to attack twice for a total of 2100 points of damage, and there was nothing that Aina could do to stop it. She couldn't believe that Shou had managed to sidestep her Zoma the Spirit and Embodiment of Apophis so easily; did he realize that that was her plan? Just then she was struck by a memory, of him; Aina had thought that she'd set the perfect counter, but he found the gap and struck right through it, finishing the duel. But he extended his hand to her, so she knew it was okay, and that she'd learn from it. At least, she thought she had. Now she was down to 2650 life points, and Shou had just set two cards and was about to declare the end of his turn.

"Not yet; during the end phase of your turn I activate Zoma the Spirit, special summoning it in defense mode." A hideous sort of skull monster appeared, holding a terrible power to wreak vengeance upon its killer. "Now during my turn, I activate Embodiment of Apophis, special summoning it in attack mode, and I shift Zoma to attack as well." Zoma was now joined by a humanoid serpent, brandishing sword and shield. Aina glared coldly at Shou, trying to shake off her mind's efforts to superimpose _him_ onto her opponent.

"Miss Aina, I won't pretend that I know anything about him, but don't you think that your friend would just want you to improve yourself, without worrying about him?"

"…I activate my field spell card, Mausoleum of the Emperor." A huge funeral pyre emerged from behind her. "Since you know you don't know anything, then don't say anything at all. Now, with Mausoleum of the Emperor's effect, I pay two thousand life points in place of two sacrifices to summon the Yamata Dragon!" The mythic eight-headed dragon emerged from the mausoleum, radiating considerable power. "I don't have time to waste, so I'm going to finish this now; Yamata Dragon, attack Maha Vailo!" The dragon reared back, and launched eight fireballs at the magician, but at the last second they all veered away and struck Shou instead..

"My trap card, Absolute End; for this turn, all attacks against me are direct attacks. And when I am directly attacked, Flash Bang ends the battle phase and goes straight to your end phase." Aina flashed a smile at Shou, covering the sneer that formed moments before.

"I guess you really are your sister's brother; then again, she would have stopped the damage altogether, which would mean that Yamata Dragon's effect wouldn't activate." Aina's deck began to glow as four cards seemed to fly into her hand. "When Yamata Dragon inflicts battle damage, I can draw until I have five cards in my hand, and one of the cards I just drew is Mystik Wok!" The Yamata Dragon vanished in flash of light, and it seemed as if the pyre of the Emperor's Mausoleum raged even higher. "I sacrificed my Yamata Dragon to recover his defense to my life points, or thirty-one hundred." Shou's life points had dropped to 400 while Aina's had risen back up to 3750.

"Now that you've ended my battle phase, I play Monster Reincarnation, and I discard Izanami to add Yamata Dragon back to my hand from the grave. Then I play Magical Stone Excavation, discarding Metal Reflect Slime and Cyber Shadow Guardna to return Cursed Yasa Magatama to my hand as well. Turn finished." She had him, and she knew it; the little punk was _nothing_ like Tomoaki, and there was no way that she'd ever let him get away with defending the bitch who'd sent Tomoaki away.

"Miss Aina, I'm going to show you that my sister isn't a bad person, and that you don't have to be angry at her. At least, I hope I'll be able to, because my friends are all really strong."

"Shou, you're talking like you're winning." Shou nodded, and revealed the card he just drew, the only card in his hand.

"I now equip Maha Vailo with Horn of the Unicorn, raising her attack power by twelve-hundred points!" Maha Vailo struck twice, fast as lightning, and the duel was over. Aina gripped her fist, but didn't say anything as she walked away. Shortly thereafter, Shou's Duel Disc signaled that his next opponent had just been assigned, and so he left, in search of his own path.


	14. Chapter 14

Weathering the Storm of False Pride

"Excuse us, but we're going to have to borrow your Duel Discs." The two second year Ra Yellow boys had been corralled to a specific spot and were now cornered by a pair of first year Obelisk Blue students whose genders were oddly ambiguous.

"Wait, weren't you two suspended?" The second Ra Yellow nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, you made that big scene and insulted the Chancellor right to her face. Like hell we're going to let you take our Duel Discs." Kanako looked over at Hisao and smiled.

"Well what do you know Hisao? It does look like we'll have inflict unspeakable pain upon these perverts _after_ all." Hisao nodded, a venomous glint in his/her eyes.

"You're right Kanako, but then again you always are." The Obelisk Blue students armed their duel discs.

"Wait, you're not a part of this tournament, so you can't challenge us." The Obelisk Blues didn't care, and in short order they summoned their most powerful monsters; both were towering Draconic beasts, though one was hideous and misshapen, while the other shined with a veritable rainbow. Such was the overwhelming power that was brought against them that the Ra Yellows were knocked unconscious, and by the time they recovered their Duel Discs were long gone, though their decks were still there, scattered across the ground.

* * *

"This is a bit weird, don't you think Momoe? I mean, what are the odds that both our opponents would be in the same place?" Junko looked down at their Duel Discs, which were both pointing in the same direction.

"What bothers me is how they weren't together until just a little while ago. It makes me think that this is some sort of trap, but what kind of trap could it be, and to what end?" Momoe shrugged her shoulders, and the two Ra Yellow girls continued to follow the path provided them, and after only a short while, they found two people that they most certainly never wanted to see again.

"Look Hisao, I think the sluts are surprised to see us here."

"Of course they are, Kanako; after all, they didn't get into Duel Academia by virtue of their brains."

"For one, they'd have to have brains in the first place. Someone in the admissions committee must have been lax."

"That, or the sluts used the only attributes that they did have to bribe their way here." Junko slammed her fist into a nearby tree, silencing Hisao and Kanako.

"That is enough! What the hell is the matter with you two? You can't really be this pissed of because of that duel, can you?"

"Well, it's not so much the duel as it is the principle of the matter; sluts like you don't belong at Duel Academia."

"Knock it off with the slut bullshit!" Momoe was thankful that there was no one else around to see her lose composure like this; even with company like this, it wasn't proper for a lady to use such language. "Junko and I got into Duel Academia the same way all the other girls did; are they all sluts too?"

"Duh; all bitches are sluts. It's practically a tautology, right Hisao?"

"That's right Kanako, but it's no use trying to explain advanced logical concepts like that to them. It'd just go in one ear and out the other. And while I'd enjoy belittling you breeding chattel all day, we've got important business at hand. To whit, we will crush you in this tournament, and when we emerge victorious as the number one duelists, we'll get our records cleared of that unfortunate misunderstanding that you caused for us."

"Breeding chattel?" Junko had a most livid look in her eyes. "Oh that's it; not only are we going to kick your freaky asses, we're going to see to it that you two are expelled! Momoe, you can take freak number one, I'll take freak number two." The two girls nodded and clasped hands; then they gave each other a quick hug and reassured each other that they would do their best.

"Great, lesbian sluts; isn't that just special?" Junko and Momoe glared at Kanako, who for a moment seemed to be aware of the sleeping power that he was awakening. "Whatever. Since I'm apparently 'freak number one' I'll go ahead and destroy you over there, slut number two." At this point there was nothing but silence; the duelists moved to where they'd be able fight without any interference from the others, and a howling wind signaled the beginning of battle.

* * *

"Here I go!" Momoe drew her card and reviewed her hand. "I summon Giant Orc and then I set one card." A huge grey skinned humanoid monster armed with a femur appeared in front of Momoe. "Your turn." Kanako sneered at Momoe.

"Really, is that the best you can come up with? Clearly your other talents must be as developed as they seem to be. In any event, let me show you how a real duelist fights. First I play two Fiend Sanctuaries to special summon two Fiend tokens." A pair of smoky runic arrays appeared on the field, and from them emerged a pair of metallic devils that reflected Momoe's form. "Now I sacrifice them to summon the almighty Yubel!" The devils crashed into each other, twisting and writhing until they became a horrific demon that appeared to be some demented lunatic's impression of what a hermaphrodite must have looked like. "Now I play the spell card Cruel Smash, which destroys the monster with the lowest defense on the field, and if there's a tie I get to choose the target. I destroy my own Yubel, thereby special summoning Yubel the Terror Incarnate from my deck and onto the field!" Yubel transformed into a two-headed dragon that possessed a giant eye where it's long writhing necks met. "And now I play my second Cruel Smash to destroy this Yubel as well, to special summon Yubel the Ultimate Nightmare!" Yubel grew eyes and faces in an almost chaotic fashion, until it became almost a parody of itself. Still, despite everything, Yubel still had zero attack and zero defense. "Yubel the Ultimate Nightmare can't be destroyed in battle, I take no battle damage in a battle involving him, and when he attacks, your monster is destroyed at the end of the damage step and you take damage equal to your monster's attack power. And before you think that your trap will be able to destroy Yubel, think again! I equip Yubel with Heart of Clear Water, which protects him from both battle and from card effects. Yubel, attack that pathetic creature!" Momoe flashed a smile as Yubel breathed its deadly flames at her Giant Orc.

"Really, that's your ultimate monster? It's not much to be honest, or at least it won't be after I activate Skill Drain!" Suddenly Yubel's attack stopped, and it seemed hesitant, uncertain of how to continue; it tried to swipe a claw down at the Giant Orc, but the strike was so feeble that when Giant Orc struck back with its femur it knocked Yubel flat on its back for 2200 points of damage. "At the cost of 1000 life points, all monsters on the field have their effects negated, which makes your 'Ultimate Nightmare' worse then useless. And since you have no more cards left in your hand, it's my turn. Giant Orc, finish that monstrosity off once and for all." Giant Orc leapt onto the belly of the beast and started wailing at it; if Momoe didn't know better, she'd think that Yubel was crying out for the sweet release of a death that would not come. Still, Kanako's life points were all gone, and the shock of it was such that he couldn't even stand up anymore.

"When Junko gets done with your 'friend', we'll decide what we're going to do with you two." Kanako could only nod impotently, fully aware of just how badly outclassed he really was.

* * *

"I'll go first, slut! I start off by activating Crystal Tree; every time a Crystal Beast is placed into my spell/trap zone, I add one counter to it, and when I destroy it I can send an equal number of crystal beasts from my deck to my spell/trap zone. Next I summon Sapphire Pegasus!" It could have been a beautiful white Pegasus, save for the vapid and empty look in its eye that marked it as fundamentally soulless. "And now with Sapphire Pegasus's effect, I send Ruby Carbuncle from my deck to my spell/trap zone." A large Ruby flashed into being just behind the Sapphire Pegasus, belying considerable power. "Now I set one card and end my turn. Oh, and by the way, next turn I'm summoning the Rainbow Dragon, and there's nothing you can do stop it."

"Oh really? I guess that means that I'll just have to beat you on this turn."

"Yeah right, like a slut like you could ever pull off a one-turn-kill."

Junko smiled in a predatory manner. "Watch and learn little…man? Woman? Whatever; First I discard Hecatrice in order to add Valhalla Hall of the Fallen to my hand and now I play it."

The venue changed from the outdoors of Duel Academia to a massive Norse hall that dwarfed the duelists.

"Due to Valhalla's effect, if I have no monsters on the field I can special summon a fairy monster from my hand; behold Athena!" It seemed a bit odd to Junko to use a card inspired by Norse mythology to summon a monster inspired by Greek mythology, but there would be no sense in arguing with results; especially not results like these.

"Let me guess; you're going to summon another fairy, attack Sapphire Pegasus with that twenty-six hundred attack power slut, and then follow up with a direct attack. Is that it, you ignorant slut?" He/she smiled inwardly; his/her trap card, Crystal Pair, would allow him to send Sapphire Pegasus to the grave to add another Crystal Beast to his/her spell/trap zone and it would reduce all battle damage to zero. Then he'd summon the Topaz Tiger in his hand, play Crystal Pair to special summon another Crystal Beast from the deck, and destroy the Crystal Tree to add another two Crystal Beasts to the spell/trap zone, fulfilling the summoning conditions for Rainbow Dragon. As far as Hisao was concerned, 'the stupid bitch was playing right along.'

"You know, for a guy…girl…person who keeps calling me stupid, you're not very bright; case in point, I summon Shining Angel, and when Athena is on the field, she deals six hundred points of damage every time a fairy monster is summoned." As the angel joined the Goddess, Athena raised her shield and reflected the light into a deadly beam that tore right through Hisao. "Now Shining Angel, attack!"

For a moment Hisao was confused, but as soon as Shining Angel was impaled by Sapphire Pegasus for 400 points of damage, the angel's effect special summoned another Shining Angel onto the field, which brought another 600 points of damage to him/her. Junko repeated the process with the second and then the third Shining Angel; the third summoned the Nova Summoner, who carried the assault where the angels left off, and by the time the third Nova Summoner was on the field, Junko was down to 2000 life points, while Hisao had only 400 life points left.

"Now for the finisher; I end my battle phase and activate Athena's other special ability. I send Nova Summoner to the grave and special summon another fairy-type monster from the grave; in this case, Hecatrice!" Hecatrice looked less like a monster and more like an ornate ritual dagger, but it was enough for Athena to destroy Hisao's remaining life points. Hisao couldn't even move after the direct beating that he/she received.

"All right you, it looks like Momoe already finished mopping up your 'pal', so now we're going to figure out what we're going to do with you two.

* * *

"So Junko, have you gotten the real owners email-addresses yet?" Junko had hooked her DA PDA into the data jewel of the Duel Discs that Kanako and Hisao had been using. As for the them, they were tied up together, and despite their unrelenting protests whenever someone else touched them, they certainly didn't seem to mind being back to back without their consent; it certainly seemed to keep them quiet at least.

"Hold on a second…here we go! Now we can contact them and let them know that they can have their Duel Discs back. You want to do the honors Momoe?" Momoe smiled at her friend.

"Certainly; after all, you had to use more cards to defeat your opponent, so you deserve a break." Momoe then typed up a message letting the original owners know that their Duel Discs had been recovered and the culprits apprehended, along with the coordinates for where they were. And as it so happened, less then a minute had passed before a response arrived.

"Thank you for your help; we've been trying to get security to help us, but they're so busy looking for Fubuking that they couldn't spare anyone else. But now that they know where you are, they can send a small escort with us to bring them in. Thank you again from your friends in Ra Yellow, Heiji Ishizuchi and Tadahiko Kyogoku."

Momoe and Junko looked up from the message, and hugged each other. Then they looked once more over at the 'culprits'.

"You two do realize that you'll probably be expelled for this. And even if you had beaten us, do you really think that no one would have found out about the stunt you pulled? Neither of the Obelisk Blues had anything to say, and so they all waited.

Junko and Momoe's Duel Discs beeped, and the familiar arrows appeared again, pointing to opposite ends of the island. Still they waited, and in due time the Ra Yellow boys who'd been accosted arrived, alongside a pair of campus security officers; as the two security officers pulled the Obelisk Blues away, Junko and Momoe returned the Duel Discs to their rightful owners, at which point they became the recipients of much vigorous handshaking in return. Heiji was the first to speak.

"Thanks so much for defeating them for us; I mean, we're second years, and yet it took you first years to take care of the problem." Momoe tried to wave them off.

"No, it's okay, really. We're just sorry that you lost your chance to participate in the tournament." But it seemed that Tadahiko would have none of that.

"No, if we couldn't handle them, then we need to retrain ourselves and try again the next time around. I just hope we don't run into you two right out of the gate; if we do, we may as well give up right then and there." Junko, seeing that the current approach wasn't going to dislodge the appreciative boys anytime soon, adopted a different plan.

"Oh you guys, we're just doing what we can to help our seniors. But if you do promise to become stronger, I know that we'll be able to show a whole lot more appreciation. Right Momoe?" Momoe nodded, and even threw in a quick wink that seemed to seal the deal with the two young men.

"Come on Tadahiko, let's get to work!"

"Right Heiji, right behind you!" And with that they were gone, and the two Ra Yellow girls could relax.

"Well Momoe, I think we both know what's going to happen if either of us makes it to the top." Momoe nodded at Junko.

"There are going to be some _serious_ changes over in admissions to make sure that nothing like that can ever happen again." Junko and Momoe hugged one last time, then split up, seeking out their opponents, but knowing that the other would always be right behind them.

* * *

Author's Note: As you might have guessed from this chapter, I don't like Yubel or the Crystal Beasts. I try not to let my petty vindictiveness get into my stories, but these two get a special exemption from that policy.


	15. Chapter 15

The Ice is Unmoving

"Wow Asuka, I can't believe that that you're still in the tournament; if it were _my_ brother who'd mysteriously gone missing, I'd be such a nervous wreck." Asuka looked straight at Eva Nomura.

"Is there some point that you were trying to make, or was that just small talk?" Eva flinched back.

"Yeesh, talk about cold. I mean, I don't give a damn about your freaky brother, but I would have figured that you would. I mean, you did look a little…unnerved just as the tournament started and you had to split off from all your little friends." Asuka narrowed her eyes very slightly. "I mean, I'm just saying. You, you don't have to pay any attention to any of that at all." Asuka formed an almost imperceptible smile.

"That's good, because I just want to get this duel over with as soon as possible. No offense, but you're not even close to a challenge for me."

"Well well, it sounds like someone's a little full of themselves; does dear little Asuqueen think that since her big brother humiliated me in front of _everyone_ that I'll be no threat whatsoever?" Eva Nomura drew herself up, matching Asuka's height. "Let me tell you something, _princess_, I've never had to coast off my name to get anywhere, and I've certainly never used my 'charms' to manipulate men into losing to me, just to make myself seem more impressive." Asuka's eyes flared with anger, even though her voice remained cool and even.

"Let's duel. Now."

"Fine, I was getting bored talking down to your level anyway. Your move, Asuqueen."

Asuka moved away from Eva with a methodical, even gait, one that betrayed nothing. Then she turned to face her opponent, her face betraying nothing.

"I summon Blizzard Dragon." A blue scaled dragon built like an oni appeared before Asuka, its wings too small for flight. "Next I set one card, and end my turn."

"Putting up a strong front, are we? Let's just try and break that down a little. I summon Maiden of Macabre!" A pale skinned woman in a kimono and wielding a massive scythe arose from the ground in front of Eva. "And next I play the spell card, Mutual Gathering; when we both have monsters on the field with the same level, I can add two spell counters to a monster on my side of the field, and for every spell counter on her, Maiden of Macabre gains two hundred attack points." A pair of ghostly spirits gathered around the maiden's blade, raising her attack from 1700 to 2100, enough to defeat Blizzard Dragon's 1800 attack power. "Maiden of Macabre, destroy that dragon!" And just as the Maiden was about to bring her scythe down on the dragon's neck…

"I activate my trap, Blizzard Curtain; I switch Blizzard Dragon to defense mode, and if it is destroyed in battle, then one Ice Counter gets added to your monster." A sheer biting wind buffeted the maiden, and while the dragon was slain, Asuka herself was left untouched.

"Clever, but what you've forgotten is that every time Maiden of Macabre destroys a monster, she gains another spell counter. I'm not afraid of a little chill wind, ice queen. I set two cards, and end my turn."

"Good, the sound of your voice was beginning to bother me."

"What did you say!?"

"I summon Cold Enchanter." A woman in an ice-blue outfit, armed with a staff with a stylized crystal head, flashed into being. "Next I remove from play my Blizzard Dragon in the graveyard to special summon Aqua Spirit." This one was a green skinned girl in a white dress. "Now I activate Cold Enchater's effect, and discard one card from my hand to add one Ice Counter to her, and for each Ice Counter on the field, she gains three hundred attack points." The misty fog that surrounded Maiden of Macabre was now repeated with Cold Enchanter, raising her attack from 1600 to 2200.

"Ooh, nice try there, but my Maiden has twenty-_three_ hundred attack points. Still not enough I'm afraid."

"I activate the Permanent Spell Card, Ice Bridge Bifrost." A bridge made of ice arched its way from one end of the field, refracting the light that passed through it into a beautiful rainbow. "So long as there is an Ice Counter on your side of the field, and an Ice Counter on my side of the field, all Water monsters on my side of the field can attack directly at half battle damage. Go Cold Enchanter and Aqua Spirit." Asuka's monsters crossed the bridge, bypassing the Maiden of Macabre and striking Eva for 1900 points of damage. "End turn."

"Oh, you must think you're so impressive, but all I have to do is kill that Cold Enchanter, and your Ice Bridge is useless."

"Aqua Spirit's effect; during your standby phase I choose one monster on your side of the field and decide their battle position." Maiden of Macabre's arms became heavy, forcing her down. "Furthermore, due to the Ice Counter on your monster, you can never return your monster back to attack mode."

"Fine, I might not be able to attack, but neither will you! I activate the spell card, Nightmare's Steelcage, keeping either of us from attacking for two turns." A massive cage lined with vicious spikes surrounded Asuka. "Next I summon the Illusory Gentleman in defense mode, and then I activate my trap card, Ojama Trio!"

As soon as the Ojama tokens appeared on Asuka's side of the field, she was filled with an intense sensation of disgust and loathing, though she couldn't say why; true, the yellow one kept wanting to introduce her to 'the boss', while the green and black one's kept offering what they must have considered compliments, and they would have been if not for their crass and base nature.

"Finally, an expression! I was worried that I was going to have to look at that frozen face of yours this whole time, but hey, now I get to see the real you. Well, for all the difference it makes, it's your turn now."

Asuka looked up from the Ojama Trio, and examined her hand. "I pass."

"Aha! You can't do anything, can you? Whereas I've still got plenty that I can do; first I sacrifice my Maiden of Macabre and Illusory Gentleman to summon Vanity's Lord!" Appropriately enough, Vanity's Lord was a green haired man wearing an expensive flowing outfit, surrounded by white roses and wearing a face that screamed 'I'm better then you'. "And now that I have all four zones free again, I activate Scapegoat, special summoning four scapegoat tokens, and then I play Token Thanksgiving; I destroy all tokens on the field, gaining eight hundred life points for each token so destroyed. Furthermore, when your Ojama tokens are destroyed, you take three hundred points of damage for each one." A series of explosions obscured the field, punctuated by obnoxious cries by the Ojama Trio for their 'big sis' to help them. Once it was all over, Eva had 7700 life points, while Asuka had 3100 life points.

"You actually managed to damage me." Asuka looked down at her life meter, a cold smile on her face. Then she looked up at Eva. "That won't happen again."

"Oh come on, who do you think you are, the Kaiser? You got an early lead, but this duel is mine! Oh, and by the way, Vanity's Lord prevents you from special summoning any monsters from your hand or deck. Next turn I can start attacking, so pass like I know you will."

"You've forgotten so soon, my power. I gave you this chance, and you let go to your head. I won't make that mistake again; I discard one card from my hand to add one Ice Counter to your Vanity's Ruler. Then I play Terraforming to add Absolute Ice Wall to my hand, and play it." The icy mist that surrounded Vanity's Ruler became as a wall, encasing the monster from head to toe in a frozen prison. "The field spell Absolute Ice Wall reduces the attack power of your monsters by five hundred for every Ice Counter on them. Furthermore, any of your monsters that possesses an Ice Counter can't attack or change position. Your turn." With that, the cage separating Asuka from Eva vanished.

"You think you're so impressive, don't you, Tenjouin! You think that you're so much better then me, just like your brother. Well guess what, you're not fooling me. I play Card of Sanctity, and we both draw until we have six cards each. Now I summon in defense mode Alluring Queen Level One, and use her effect to take that damn Cold Enchanter away from you." Alluring Queen Level One gave a 'come hither' look to the Cold Enchanter, who promptly joined her side. "Next I set one card, and end my turn."

"Is that all? I'd have thought that even you could manage better then this. Let me show you how to properly use Card of Sanctity. First I summon Kuriboh." A familiar 'kuri kuri' could be heard from the fur ball, but Asuka didn't aknowledge it. "Next I play Multiply, sacrificing Kuriboh to summon four kuriboh tokens, which are not summoned from my hand or deck and as such are not restricted by Vanity's Lord's effect." Kuriboh vanished for a moment, but was quickly replaced by four smaller counterparts. "And now I play Detonate, sacrificing each of my Kuriboh tokens, and destroying a card on your side of the field for each one." With four cards on Eva's side of the field, and four Kuriboh tokens, it took only a moment for Eva's field to become empty. "Aqua Spirit, attack directly!" The green skinned maiden gathered a ball of elemental water in her hands, and launched it at Eva for 1600 points of damage. "Finishing my turn, I set two cards."

"Tch, all right, fine. You do have some skill. I'll admit that. But don't get arrogant! Just because you bested my Alluring Queen strategy doesn't mean that you're going to win. I summon Ebon Magician Curran!" A dour looking girl dressed in an outfit resembling a large black rabbit appeared. "Next I equip her with Trial of the Princess, raising her attack by eight hundred points, and then I play Worthy Opponent! By equiping this card to Ebon Curren, I can raise her attack by another four hundred, and any monster she battles is considered to be level five, for the purpose of the Trial of the Princesses effect. Ebon Curren, attack Aqua Spirit!" The young noble girl cracked her whip and was about to bring it down on Aqua Spirit.

"Activate trap card, Double Passe! Activate trap card, Hallowed Life Barrier!" Ebon Magician Curran's attack went wide and bounced off the protective shell that appeared around Asuka. Meanwhile Aqua Spritit rushed up to Eva, and struck her again for another 1600 points of damage. Eva glared at Asuka, but didn't say anything. "If you don't plan on doing anything further, then its my turn; I summon the Blizzard Warrior," A Knight armored in ice and wielding a double-sword like the fang of a frozen dragon appeared. "Now I sacrifice Aqua Spirit and Blizzard Warrior to special summon Ice Master."

A tall woman, clad in ice blue regalia, stood before Eva. Taking the scepter in her hand, she waved it at Ebon Magician Curran, who was swiftly encased in ice. "Once per turn, Ice Master can add one Ice Counter to a monster on the field. Ice Master, attack Ebon Magician Curran." Now wielding her scepter like a battle axe, she swung it at the frozen princess, destroying her for 600 points of damage. "End turn."

"...I summon White Magician Pikeru in defense mode, set one card, and end my turn. Seriously though, what's with you? I mean, I don't even know you, and even I can tell that you're not acting like yourself. What's the deal?"

"...My turn. I play the spell card Flowing Strike and equip it to Ice Master." Ice Master's scepter changed, acquiring a much more fluid, flexible form. "This raises Ice Master's attack power by five hundred points for each Ice Counter on the field, and if she attacks a monster that has an Ice Counter on it, her attack penetrates defense. Ice Master, attack!" A panicked look filled Eva's eyes, since White Magician Pikeru had a zero defense power. But she wouldn't flinch.

"I activate my trap card, Magician's Circle, allowing each of us to special summon a spell caster with two thousand attack points or less from our decks. I special summon the Dark Magician Girl!" A blond haired girl in a light blue outfit vaguely resembling the one worn by the Dark Magician, save for significantly skimpier design, appeared on Eva's side of the field. Unfortunately, she could do nothing to stop the attack already in progress, and Eva took 3000 points of damage.

"Turn end." Asuka looked upon Eva, without contempt, or any other feeling for that matter. Eva bristled under that gaze.

"You'll see, I'll draw the one card that can win this duel. I can do it too, not just you, or your brother, or even that ridiculous Osiris Red boy." So absorbed in her own anger, Eva didn't notice the very slight softening in Asuka's feature's before she returned to her frozen state. "Draw!" Eva then looked down at her card, and started making a sound like a cross between laughter and crying. She turned the card over in her hand, showing it to Asuka, along with the other card in her hand.

"Brain Control and Alluring Queen Level Five. With Brain Control, you could have taken my Ice Master on this turn and attacked me with it, assuring your victory. Unfortunately, you only have five hundred life points left, and you need eight hundred to activate that card."

"Shut up! You don't think that I know that? You don't think that I realize how damnably close I came to winning? You don't think that I realize how humiliating it is to lose like this, to have every last one of my strategies countered? To realize that I never stood a chance against you?" A silent, cold wind passed between the duelists. "Not that you care. Why don't you just finish this, and move on?" Asuka didn't say a word as she directed her monster to attack, and wiped away the last of Eva's life points. The data jewel on Asuka's Duel Disk signaled that there were no more opponents left, so Asuka turned to depart, but paused.

"You should learn to not take things so hard. When I find my brother, I will make sure that he can account for all his actions." Asuka left, without anymore to say.

Eva sat down, arms wrapped around her legs and looking up at the clouds. It was nearing sunset. "Maybe...maybe she's right? I mean, maybe I'm being too sensitive about all this. This was, and so was the other one, they were just duels after all, right?" Eva felt a nagging sensation, somewhere in the pit of her stomach. It annoyed her greatly. "Yeah right. Why should I listen to anything she has to say? I'll just have to kick her ass, along with her brother's!" Eva stood up, a sensation of power filling her being. "That's right, those two, the Tenjouins, they're just jealous of me, of my charm, and are trying to make me forget that. Like hell they're going to get away with that!"


	16. Chapter 16

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back.

"Well, Judai Yuuki, at last we meet again. It's been what, three months since you dueled me? I have to tell you that before that duel, I was just coasting along, not really trying, but you changed all that." Judai looked at his opponent, a second year Osires Red boy, and then brought his fist down in his hand.

"Now I remember! You're Ken Suzuki! You had that really fun Dinosaur deck, and that Jurassic World card was something else." For a moment, Ken looked wistfully down at the ground.

"Yeah, it was a fun deck; or to be more precise, it was a deck created just for fun, without any concern over whether it would be able to win or not." Ken looked back up, facing Judai with a stern look on his face. "That didn't used to matter to me, but somehow, when you beat me, that changed. You were the first one who ever got excited from defeating me, and that made me sit up and take notice. So I scrapped my old deck and started over from scratch; I meticulously planned out every detail, establishing counter for counter for counter. Now I'm much stronger then you can realize, Judai, for now I can perform One-Turn Kills reliably. Of course, I already performed two by the time you got to me, so I doubt I'll be lucky enough to use that strategy against you, but I still have other strategies to use. Tell me Judai, do you understand where I'm coming from? Do you understand the principle of being defeated absolutely, and having to pick yourself back up?" Judai nodded with a goofy smile on his face.

"Yep! Twice actually, the first time was against Kouyou Hibiki, and the second was against Kaiser Ryoko. And if I'm really lucky, I'll lose against the Duel King and then I'll have lost to three great duelists." Ken looked wide eyed at Judai, but only for a moment.

"…No idea, I had no idea that you were that kind of person. I had you figured as someone who'd never had to struggle with defeat, that everything came effortless and easy to you. But enough of this; I've waited long enough for this day, this chance to recreate my destiny as a duelist, and my first real step is to defeat you!" Judai responded to this by punching his fist into his hand horizontally.

"All right, you sound like you're ready to have a fun duel. I can't wait to see what your new deck is like!" Ken formed the beginnings of a smile at the corner of his mouth, and agreed that it would be a very fun duel indeed. The two Osiris Red duelists armed their duel discs, and drew their cards.

"I'll let you go first, Judai."

"All right then, first I summon Elemental Hero Ice Edge in defense mode, and then I set one card. Your turn, Ken."

"Starting off with caution I see. I shall do the same; I summon Batteryman Micro Cell in defense mode." A tiny little humanoid battery, one of those little round ones that are used for especially small and highly advanced electronics, appeared before Ken, its arms crossed in front of its body. "Next I set two cards, and I end my turn." A gust of wind passed between the two duelists, as the tension of battle seemed to have a real presence.

"My turn! First I summon Elemental Hero Voltic!" A man in futuristic purple armor with a lightning motif appeared in a flash of light. "Next I equip him with Parallel Hero Support; by removing from play an Elemental Hero from my deck of the same level as the equipped monster, he gains one-half the attack power of the removed monster. I remove from play Elemental Hero Lady Heat!" The phantasmal image of the female hero overlapped with Voltic, raising his attack power from 1000 to 1650. "Next I play H-Heated Heart, raising his attack by another five hundred and allowing his attack to penetrate your defense. Elemental Hero Voltic, attack Batteryman Micro Cell!" Bolts of electricity tinged with fire flashed between Elemental Hero Voltic's hands as he raised them above his head, and he launched that energy at the tiny little battery.

"Too slow by half, Judai! Once per turn, when Batteryman Micro Cell is attacked, I can special summon a level four or lower Batteryman from my deck in defense mode, and I choose Batteryman D!" This humanoid battery was built like a D-cell, short and squat with tiny little arms and legs. Elemental Hero Voltic's attack veered away from the micro cell and towards the newly summoned monster "When Batteryman D is on the field, you can't attack any other thunder type monsters on the field. And since Batteryman D has a nineteen hundred defense, I only take two-hundred fifty points of damage, instead of two thousand fifty." Batteryman D absorbed the bulk of Voltic's attack, with only a small portion bleeding over to Ken.

"That was really good Ken, but I still did battle damage, which means that I get to activate Voltic's effect and special summon one Elemental Hero that's been removed from play. Say hello to Elemental Hero Lady Heat!" Elemental Hero Voltic unleashed a huge bolt of lighting that seemed to break the sky, and from that hole emerged Lady Heat.

"I activate my trap card, Adhesion Trap Hole, reducing Elemental Hero Lady Heat's attack by one-half!" Elemental Hero Lady Heat found that she could no longer move from where she stood. She seemed worried for a moment, but she shared a quick glance with Voltic, and renewed her resolve.

"Lady Heat, attack Micro Cell!"

"And now you activate my other trap, A Hero Emerges! You choose one of the three cards in my hand, and if you choose a monster, then I can special summon that monster onto the field." Judai pointed at the middle card. "Very good! I now special summon Batteryman AA!" This batteryman was tall and skinny, with a red coating as opposed to D's yellow and Microcell's pink. "Batteryman AA's effect; if all Batteryman AA's on the field are in attack mode, they gain one thousand attack points for each Batteryman AA. Since there's only one that means a total of one thousand attack points, too much for your little lady to handle." Lady Heat kept to her original target, burning it to a crisp. "And when Battery Man Micro Cell is destroyed in battle, I get to draw a card. Do you it Judai, the flow of my deck? Everything that has happened in this exchange is as I've planned it; every move that you thought that you made was one that I'd decided on long before you realized that this duel really began."

"Oh yeah? Was this a part of your calculations? Elemental Hero Lady Heat, activate your special effect!" Elemental Hero Lady Heat gathered the energy of her companions and launched it straight at Ken for 600 points of damage.

"A tertiary effect of no concern; its presence or absence will make no difference for my strategy. The important thing is that your Lady Heat is now weak and vulnerable; I sacrifice Batteryman AA to summon Super Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon!" A huge bolt of lightning consumed the batteryman, and from the energy released emerged a robotic dragon with a disproportionably huge head, overflowing with electric power. "And by my dragon's effect, it gains one thousand attack points from being summoned by Batteryman AA's effect!" The dragon roared as its attack power arose from 2400 to 3400. "Now attack the bait that I've set before you my dragon, Elemental Hero Lady Heat!" Unable to move from her position, Lady Heat was fried by the full force of the dragon's attack, and Judai took 2750 points of damage. "I set one card and end my turn. Now Judai, can you avoid my next pitfall?"

"To be honest, I don't know. But I think it's more fun when you don't worry so much and plan out every move twenty steps in advance. That way the future is more exciting, don't you think?"

"Heh, it looks like my first impression of you really was the right one after all; even with what you've been through, you don't learn anything, and remain a fool. This is of course why it is so easy for me to make you part of my strategy. For example, you're going to attempt to summon a new Elemental Hero, aren't you?"

"That's right; I sacrifice Elemental Hero Voltic to summon in defense mode Elemental Hero Obsidian!" But following the arrival of the new hero was a huge flow of water that washed all the monsters away.

"My trap card, Torrential Tribute; in responses to your summoning a monster, I can destroy all monsters on the field, yours and mine. It might seem like a risk, but I know for a fact that you have nothing in your hand to perform a special summon; the proof lies in the fact that I used this strategy and not another."

"Sorry Ken, but my turn isn't over yet. I set one card, and end my turn." For a moment Ken's eyes narrowed. "See, that wasn't part of your strategy, was it? You were prepared for one trap, but two? Now you've got to take a chance, and that's where the real fun begins."

"What are you talking about? Two traps or five, none of it changes my strategy. I now play Pot of Greed to draw two cards, and next I play Battery Charger, paying five hundred life points to special summon Batteryman D from the grave, and next I sacrifice him to summon Batteryman Charger!" A squat Batteryman with an infinity sign printed on its body appeared. "And when summoned in this manner, Batteryman Charger can special summon a Batteryman monster from my deck; in this case Batteryman AA! Furthermore, for each thunder monster on the field, Batteryman Charger gains three hundred attack points, and with two that makes a total of twenty-four hundred. Batteryman Charger, attack directly!"

"Here goes my first trap, Hero Blast! I take a level four or lower Elemental Hero in my grave and add it to my hand, and destroy one monster that has less attack power then that hero. I add Elemental Hero Lady Heat to destroy your Batteryman AA!" A flash of fire consumed the Batteryman, and his senior no longer had that energy to draw on. "And now for my other trap, Hero Counterattack; you pick a card from my hand, and if it's an Elemental Hero, I can special summon it and destroy one monster on your side of the field." Ken glared at the two cards in Judai's hands, trying to discern which one was the hero he needed to avoid to preserve his strategy.

"I choose…the left one!"

"All right then, I special summon Elemental Hero Lady Heat and destroy your Batteryman Charger!" Another flash of fire appeared, consuming the other Batteryman, and from the ashes emerged Lady Heat.

"A mere secondary deviation; you're still following my strategy in the main. I set one card, and end my turn."

"My turn! I now play Gift of the Weak, removing from play Elemental Hero Knopse in my hand to draw two cards." For a moment Ken was shocked by the realization that no matter which card he chose, Judai would still have been able to use his trap. "Now I play the spell card, Miracle Fusion, removing from play Elemental Hero Lady Heat on my field and Elemental Hero Voltic in my grave to fusion summon Elemental Hero Lighting!" A woman in purple armor and lined with sleek powerful muscles flashed onto the field. "And next I summon Elemental Hero Heat!"

"Well now," Ken let loose a smile. "Two Elemental Heroes, each with two thousand attack points. As I thought, you still couldn't change the course of my plan; I activate my trap card, Portable Battery Pack, and special summon both Batteryman AA's in my grave! And because of their effect, each of them now possess two thousand attack points, which means that you can't attack."

"Is that so? I activate Elemental Hero Lightning's effect, and remove from play an Elemental Hero in my grave to destroy all monsters on your side of the field whose attack is equal to or less then that of the removed monster, and I remove Elemental Hero Obsidian to destroy your Battermen!"

"But, but that would mean that you summoned Elemental Hero Obsidian with the expectation that he would be destroyed. But that can't be, because this duel is going according to _my_ strategy!" All the same, the Batterymen were consumed by white-hot bolts of lighting.

"Now, when Elemental Hero Lightning uses her effect, she can't attack this turn, but Elemental Hero Heat still can!" A huge fiery fist fell down on Ken for two thousand points of damage. "Now it's your turn Ken."

"My turn? Of course it's my turn, because I still haven't won, and my strategy won't be complete until I do, and nothing can stop my strategy! I play the spell card, Graceful charity, drawing three cards and discarding two. And now I remove from play Batteryman D and Batteryman Microcell to summon Batteryman Industrial Strength!" This Batteryman was like a car battery, including the wheel it rode upon instead of legs. "Next I use his special effect, and remove from play Super Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon to destroy Elemental Hero Lightning!" Battery Man Industrial Strength held its cables up to the sky, and brought down a bolt of lightning that incinerated Elemental Hero Lightning.

"But when Elemental Hero Lightning is destroyed, her other effect activates, returning all removed from play Elemental Heroes back to my deck, then I shuffle my deck and draw one card."

"But that's not the important part of the plan; the important part is that now that Elemental Hero Heat is alone, he only has eighteen hundred attack points, which means you take eight hundred points of damage! Industrial Strength, attack!" Batteryman Industrial Strength rolled up to Elemental Hero Heat and clamped his cables onto the hero, shocking him into submission. "Now I set one card, and end my turn." Ken smiled inwardly; he knew that with Judai's luck, he'd be able to fuse a new hero on his turn, but it wouldn't matter in the slightest how powerful it was, because Mirror Force will destroy it all the same.

"Here I go; first I play Fusion Pass; I send the top five cards of my deck to the grave, and if there are fusion material monsters among them, I can summon one fusion monster. And the Elemental Hero that I summon, is the Earth! And next I play O-Oversoul to special summon a level four Elemental Hero from my grave, Elemental Hero Stratos! Next I activate Stratos's effect to destroy your face down card." Ken was now in full, wide-eyed shock; Judai claimed that he didn't plan everything out, taking the future one step at a time, but that couldn't be true; each move that Judai made was in anticipation of the next one, not following the one before it. Could it be that he didn't even realize it? "Now I sacrifice Stratos to the Earth, and attack Industrial Strength!" Sliced in half by a magma sword, Batteryman Industrial Strength's defeat signaled the end of the duel.

"Heh…ha ha ha! That was great Judai! You did everything exactly as I knew you would. Now that I know that my control over the flow of our duel is absolute, I can work on the final strategy to defeat you." Judai looked at Ken for a moment, then grabbed his hand.

"Thanks man, this was a really fun duel! I really look forward to facing you again. Oh, it looks like my next opponent's been decided. See you later Ken!" Judai ran back into the woods, where he could no longer see or hear Ken Suzuki.

"Yes, that's right; if he is capable of planning without realizing it, then so am I, which means that this isn't over yet, Judai Yuuki. This isn't over by a long shot."


	17. Chapter 17

Out of the Grave and into the Fire.

"The beautiful blue sky; it speaks of your eyes. And the sun, shining gold, can only be your hair. All encompassing, bringing light and life to the world that is what you are to me." It was at that point that Kazuki Aoyama turned away from the ocean and towards Daichi Misawa. "Tell me, how well do you think Asuka will receive that; would she hold tight to me, or would she perhaps favor me with a chaste and delicate kiss? Or might she in fact declare herself my fiancée right then and there?" Daichi Misawa swore to himself that he would keep a straight face, and briefly wondered if any of the others were dealing with similar problems from their opponents; with his luck, probably not.

"To be honest, I doubt she'd respond at all well to that. The fact is, is that she isn't a very 'romantic' person. And besides, Judai is still technically the winner of Fubuki's challenge, so you can't actually approach her like that anyway." Kazuki flashed a grin at Misawa, catching the sunlight as though he'd practiced at it for hours, and put his hand on Misawa's shoulder.

"Misawa, Misawa…just between you and me, Judai has had more then enough time to actually _do _something with Asuka. Challenge or no challenge, the great Asuqueen is available, and she deserves a _real_ man to show her the world." Misawa raised an eyebrow at this.

"I see, and what if she disagrees with that…reasoning?" Kazuki shrugged his shoulders.

"It may take time, but rest assured she will understand that the world can be a cold and lonely place without a man by her side. I am nothing, if not persistent." Words like "Lothario", "Casanova", and "Don Juan" ran through Misawa's head as he looked at Kazuki.

"You know, come to think of it, Asuka did mention you." Kazuki's eyes lit up the way a child's did when told that Christmas was coming early. Then he composed himself.

"I see, and what did she mention of me? Was it perhaps my dashing good looks? The confidence that shines from my very being? My impeccable dueling record that only she has ever broken? My-!"

"She said that it was a great annoyance having to duel you over and over again; that you didn't see her as an opponent, but as a prize. In short, the more persistent you are with her, the less she is ever going to want with you and for your sake you'd better not challenge her ever again." Kazuki looked at Misawa quizzically, and then pounded his fist into his hand.

"Oh, for a moment I thought you were speaking the truth, but now I realize that what it is, is that you are jealous of me! After all, what chance does a mere first year Ra Yellow, even if he is the best of his year and dorm, have against a second year elite Obelisk Blue? Very improper move there, Misawa, trying to cheat and claim that Asuka isn't interested in playing the game; all women play the game, especially those that are beautiful and play at being hard to get." Kazuki then snapped his finger at Misawa, punctuating his declaration with great aplomb.

"…I don't want to engage in armchair psychology, but to be frank, you're delusional." Kazuki clicked his tongue and shook his finger just in front of Misawa's face.

"Now we're getting into name calling. Misawa, we are civilized men. Let us settle this in the only appropriate manner available to us." Kazuki then armed his duel disc.

"You know, I was worried that you'd forgotten that we were in the middle of a tournament. But now that we're back on track…" Misawa armed his duel disc in turn.

* * *

Asuka sneezed. Very loudly. Animals were scattering from the noise.

"That whole thing about people talking about you when you sneeze _better_ just be a superstition."

* * *

"I'll go first, to demonstrate the superior technique of the Obelisk elite." Kazuki drew his cards with a dramatic flourish that was rarely seen, even within the bounds of Duel Academia or at the height of the famed Battle City tournament. "I now summon the glorious phantom beast, Rushing Talons!" It was a creature that looked very much like a humanoid bird, wielding a heavy battle staff that featured massive talons at each end. "Next, I set one card, and finish my turn." Kazuki then raised his arm and pointed right at Misawa. "I should warn you Misawa, the trap I've set for you is unstoppable. All the very forces of the infinite hells can't save you from my Phantom Beasts." Misawa glared at Kazuki; there was just something about him that rubbed him the wrong way, beyond everything that he already said. But he had a duel to win, and a promise to keep.

"First, I summon in defense mode Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower." A massive tower of inhuman bones arose high into the sky, and flitting about it, here and there, were the pale blue spirits of the dead.

"I see, so first you visit upon me the hell of bones. Very classy, Misawa."

"Next I play the spell card, Foolish Burial, sending a monster from my deck to the grave. Then I play Magical Stone Excavation, discarding two cards to return Foolish Burial back to my hand, and I play it again to send another monster to the grave." Kazuki smiled blandly.

"And so the halls of hell are filled with vengeful spirits, awaiting the ones who can unleash their wrath on a cruel world that took them away before they even had a chance. It's like a wake, played in reverse."

"Next I remove from play Mezuki in my graveyard to special summon the Tengu Crow, and with his effect I destroy your Phantom Beast." The undead goblin rushed out of the bone tower and swept away Rushing Talons. "And now Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower's effect activates; so long as there is another zombie type on my field, you can't attack the bone tower, and every time I special summon a zombie type monster, the top two cards of your deck are sent to the grave." A pair of the flitting spirits lashed out, dragging Kazuki's cards out of his deck.

"Truly the song of hell is a vicious one, but I have the sense that it's not finished playing, now is it?"

"Good intuition, Kazuki. I now play Premature Burial, and special summon Onmoraki at the cost of 800 life points, and his effect allows me to draw one card." A crane born of the flesh of the dead emerged from the tower, and guided the souls of the dead to pick away at Kazuki's deck. "Crow Tengu, Onmoraki, attack directly!" The combined assault of both monsters came to 2600 points of damage.

"Ah, and now the song reaches its crescendo, but a crescendo of my choosing. By inflicting battle damage to me, you activated my trap card, Attack and Receive!" Phantasmal images of Misawa's monsters appeared on Kazuki's side of the field. "Attack and Receive does a base of seven hundred points of damage, but the total rises by three hundred for each Attack and Receive in my grave, and in your efforts to mill my deck, that was one of the cards you sent; in short, you take one thousand points of damage!" The images leapt at Misawa and struck at him before vanishing.

"It's called economy, Misawa. You burned through your entire hand to hurt me, and yet with one card I've turned it all against you. Because when it comes to making use of the grave in a duel, there's no one who can outshine me, Kazuki Aoyama of the Phantom Beasts!"

"Is that so? Well, in case you forgot, I do have one card left, and I set it to end my turn."

"Ah, so now you're done then? Allow me to demonstrate to you, Misawa of the demons, that your milling strategy will not work against me. First I remove from play Phantom Beast Rushing Talons from my grave to add Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts to my hand, and next I play Fusion, combing Gazelle with Berfomat to summon Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast!" A two headed monster, combining the worst aspects of a lion and a demon, flew onto the field. "And now because of the Phantom Beast Cross-Wing that you sent to my grave, all Phantom Beasts on the field gain three hundred attack points." The chimera roared at the top of its lungs' as its attack rose from 2100 to 2400. "Next I summon Phantom Beast Zephyr Cheetah." A blast of wind from the west followed the arrival of a humanoid cheetah armed with a pair of short swords. And as with the Chimera, this Phantom Beast roared as well, its attack rising from 1200 to 1500.

"Not bad Kazuki, it looks like I'll have to say goodbye to my Yokai monsters."

"You're going to have to say goodbye to more then them, Misawa. You see, Zephyr Cheetah can attack twice during the battle phase, which means that once he clears away those hellish eyesores from the field, your Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower will fall before my Chimera's claws. But there's more; you see, I now play the spell card, Stop Defense, and force your tower into attack mode."

"What?" The tower of bones rattled and shook, and in an imperceptible manner it seemed ready to attack.

"You see Misawa, this is a beautiful strategy, one that leaves no opening to the enemy, no shield to hide behind. It is this refined and beautiful strategy that shall overcome Asuka's icy illusions of individuality, and show her that her beauty belongs at my side."

"Ok, I've had enough of this; if I hear one more word out of your mouth about how great you are, or how you're going to make Asuka fawn over you, I will finish you on the next turn. I have no time to waste with the likes of you."

"Oh, next turn you say? But there won't be a next turn! Zephyr Cheetah, attack Tengu Crow and Onmoraki!" The Phantom Beast flipped around the swords in its hands, and dashed in between Misawa's monsters, slicing them up simultaneously for 300 points of damage. "And now for the finish! Chimera the Mythical Flying Beast, attack Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower for two thousand points of damage!" The Chimera flapped its wings and was about to descend on the bone tower, but was stopped by a veritable army of angry spirits, two of which were quite familiar.

"Night Parade of One Hundred Demons! With this trap card, I special summon all the zombie type monsters in my grave that I can, and while they all return to the grave at the end of the turn, they still get to activate their effects! First I draw a card from Onmoraki's effect. Then Shutendoji's attack rises to two thousand. Third, Tengu Crow's effect destroys your Chimera, and Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower sends six cards from your deck to the grave!" There was a flash of pale, misty blue light as the spirits, newly returned from the underworld, worked their magic.

But Kazuki's face was unaffected.

"Oh ho, you are almost as stubborn as Asuka. But as Asuka herself learned, my Phantom Beasts are not to be underestimated; by destroying Chimera, I activate his effect and special summon Gazelle back from the grave. Furthermore, since you sent two more Cross-Wings to the grave, that means his attack rises by nine hundred points! Gazelle, tear into Onmoraki!" Fast as a flash, the king of mythical beasts tore away at the hell crane for 1200 points of damage. "And with this card that I set, I end my turn. Goodbye, Yokai." The night parade came to an end, and so Shutendoji and Tengu Crow returned to the grave. "I'll concede that you delayed me slightly, but it's rather obvious that you were hoping to reserve that parade for later." Misawa drew his next card, and smiled.

"Actually, I'm glad that you forced my hand. This way, you can see the true strength of my milling strategy."

"Eh? Come now, as you've already seen, the more you send to my grave, the stronger my power becomes. It is something that only I, Kazuki Aoyama of the Phantom Beasts, can possibly do, just as only I can make dear sweet little Asuka mine." Misawa glared at Kazuki with all the cold fire of hell, and it was enough to make even Kazuki blanch.

"I already warned you about that. First I play the spell card, Soul Release!"

"What! You can't possibly mean to remove my monsters from the grave, can you?" Misawa shook his head.

"No. I remove from play the monsters in my grave!" For a moment Misawa was surrounded by the spirits of his monsters as they fled the boundaries of the underworld. "Now that my graveyard has no more monsters in it, I can remove from play Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower to special summon Ikiryo!" The tower of bones vanished, and in its place appeared a spirit most indistinct. However, it had zero attack points and zero defense.

"Let me guess, for every card in my grave, your monster gains four hundred attack points, right?" Kazuki smiled to himself; it mattered not how high Ikiryo's attack got, because thanks to the Phantom Beast Thunder Pegasus in his grave, he could remove it from play to negate one attack against a Phantom Beast. Further, on the next turn he would activate his Riryoku, and take away half of Ikiryo's attack and add it to his Gazelle, and win.

"Not quite. You see, Ikiryo's effect is to return all the cards in your graveyard to your deck, and for every card so returned it gains three hundred attack points."

"What!" Kazuki's grave glowed with a brilliant light, and once more his deck was full. And since fifteen cards were in his grave, that meant that Ikiryo's attack rose to 4500. And with that rise in strength came a distinct form, not all that unlike that of a certain young woman.

"On her behalf, I attack your Gazelle, and put an end you! That is the declaration of a man whose blood is burning hot!" Ikiryo raised her hands, and conjured a fireball like the sun and threw it at the King of Mythical Beasts. It only took a moment for the fire to claim its life, and with it Kazuki's life points. As for Kazuki himself, he fell to his knees.

"How could I, Kazuki Aoyama of the Phantom Beasts, master of the graveyard, lose to the likes of you?" Misawa stood over his opponent.

"If you want to take anything from this, then take this; take a good, long look at yourself, and realize that you're not god's gift to the world. And that the likes of you, as you are, are not worthy of someone like Asuka Tenjouin; she is not a doll, a treasure, a prize, or anything of the sort, but is valued and precious friend of mine, and I will not let anyone like you near her." Daichi Misawa then marched away, not waiting for his duel disc to point him to his next opponent.

"We'll see, Daichi Misawa. You may have won this battle, but in the end I will win the war, and earn the greatest prize of all."


	18. Chapter 18

Beginning of the End; The Tournament Finals Are Decided!

"In just a few hours, the stars will be visible; do you ever look at them, or is that something that the Manjoume's don't have time for? It would be a shame, for someone like you to go through life, oblivious to the larger scope of things." Manjoume stood off from Takuma, glaring coolly at him.

"Is there some point your trying to make, or are you just engaging in idle naval gazing?" Takuma smirked at this.

"In other words, no, the Manjoumes don't look at the stars. Which, of course, means that despite your earlier claims to being your own man, the fact remians that you are theirs, through and through. Even your ace card, the Light and Darkness Dragon, that was provided to you by the Manjoume family. And while it would be one thing if you accepted the real source of your strength, the fact is that you don't, which means that you are only playing at being a duelist."

"Playing at? And what is there to you, that makes you 'not' playing at being a duelist? No matter how you look at it, Duel Monsters is a game; a great and enlightening game, to be certain, but still a game." Now Takuma laughed, a quiet chuckle really.

"Didn't you pay any attention in Professor Daitokuji's classes? After three months of his lectures, I'd think it would be clear to anyone that there is something of greater significance behind this game; Pegasus J. Crawford's trip to Egypt before creating the game, the final match between Yuugi Mutou and Pegasus at Duelist Kingdom, and Pegasus's mysterious death afterwards. Then there were the Ghouls, led by Malik Ishtar at Battle City, and their efforts to acquire the God Cards far beyond what would be reasonable, if they were merely the most powerful cards in the game. Do I need to go on, or have I made my point plainly?"

"Your point? All you've done is rattled off trivia. Besides, both Seto Kaiba and Yuugi Mutou have been on record stating that there is nothing to those rumours at all."

"Ah-ha! I was expecting you to referrence that. Don't you think it odd that someone like Yuugi Mutou, who wore the Millennium Puzzle throughout both Duelist Kingdom and Battle City, would truly believe that there was nothing behind Duel Monsters? Somehow, Seto Kaiba convinced him to go along and hide the truth, and I intend to find that truth, no matter what it is." Manjoume couldn't help himself; he had to laugh. Not very much, but he had to.

"The Millennium Puzzle? Come on, don't tell me you believe those rumours about the Millnnium Puzzle possessing strange powers? It was just an old relic that some archaeologists dug up, nothing more. Tell me, do you use the Alien series of cards as a reflection of your gullibility, or is that just a coincidence?" Takuma narrowed his eyes, his face sapped of all warmth.

"Listen you, I have a higher purpose to achieve here, and I will not have a spoiled rich brat stop me, no matter how lucky he was earlier. The truth will be revealed! Let's duel!" Takuma armed his duel disk, and Manjoume did the same.

"I was wondering when you would get bored with the sound of your own voice. Now then, why don't you go first?"

"My pleasure. I summon in attack mode, Interplanetary Invader A!" A bubbling, writhing sound followed the arrival of a bubbling, writhing creature that seemed to have multiple machine components coming out of its hideous purple body. "Next I set two cards, and end my turn." Manjoume gazed at the monster, unconcerned with its strange appearance.

"Zero attack power; I'll have to be careful with this one. I summon Guivre!" A sort of Wyvern styled-dragon appeared before Manjoume, roaring and flapping it's wings as though to intimidate its enemy. "Guivre, attack!"

"Exactly the sort of foolish behavior that I expected from the likes of you; I activate my trap card, Rising Energy; I discard one card from my hand, and raise one face up monster's attack power by fifteen hundred points. In this case, your Guivre will receive this temporary boost." As Guivre rushed towards it's target, it suddenly sped up and struck with far more force then it would have seemed possible, dealing 2800 points of damage to Takuma. As the remains of the alien monster vanished, a token that was identical to Guivre appeared on Manjoume's side of the field. "And now I activate my other trap card, Damage Equals Reptile!" A huge rush of energy, the very energy that Guivre had used, was now gathered before Takuma. "I special summon one Reptile monster from my deck with an attack power equal to or less then the damage that I just took, and I summon the Cosmic Horror Gangi'el, who possesses twenty six hundred attack points." The energy exploded out, leaving behind a hideous tentacled abomination that was as beyond Takuma's previous monster as the average human was beyond a monkey. "And don't forget, when the battle phase ends, your Guivre is mine."

"Well now, we can't have that, now can we? I play the quick-play spell card, Dragon Demise! I destroy one dragon on the field, and special summon another dragon from my hand; come forth Masked Dragon!" A dragon with red and white scales appeared, it's face rather like a mask indeed. "Next I set two cards, and end my turn. Tell me, this 'Cosmic Horror' of yours, is that the truth that you think is 'out there'?"

"Ha ha. You must think that you're a riot. Imagine if someone like you were to reach the top. Imagine the kind of future that would lead to. I heard about that speech you gave in Professor Hibiki's class on the first day. Didn't you say that Seto Kaiba had made Dueling 'a new way of life' or something to that effect? And yet you mock my efforts to discover the deeper truth. Someone like you, someone who can't see past their own privilege, you would just squander the opportunity offered here. Let me show you this, the invincible will and power that will find the future. I discard two cards from my hand to play the permanent spell card Cosmic Procession!" A strange and unearthly energy seemed to permeate the field, and while Manjoume's dragons did nothing with it, Cosmic Horror Gangi'el seemed to thrive from this power. "The truth marches inevitably onwards, destroying all lies. So long as this card is on the field, none of your spells, traps, or monster effects can touch Cosmic Horror Gangi'el. Further, every time an Alien counter is placed on one of your monsters, the Cosmic Horror gains four hundred attack points, and as it so happpens, Cosmic Horror can do that once per turn." Cosmic Horror Gangi'el's tentacles reached out to the Guivre token, infecting it with an alien disease, weakening while strengthening the horror. "And Cosmic Procession isn't finished yet; when Cosmic Horror Gangi'el attacks a monster with an Alien counter, his attack penetrates defense. Cosmic Horror, attack Guivre token!"

The whole of the mass of tentacles that the horror had at its disposal descended upon the diseased dragon, breaking it apart effortlessly and dealing 3000 points of damage to Manjoume.

"Finally, once per turn I can remove from play one alien in my grave to attack once again. Cosmic Horror, attack Masked Dragon." The Masked Dragon stood no more chance against that assualt then its fallen companion, but it was able to absorb the damage, letting none reach Manjoume.

"When Masked Dragon is destroyed, I can special summon a dragon from my deck with an attack power of fifteen hundred or less. I special summon Wish Dragon, and this also activates my trap card, Dragon's bond, which allows me to special summon a fourth level dragon from my deck. Come forth, Rare Metal Dragon!" A dragon, seemingly forged of liquid metal, crashed onto the field.

"Heh, twenty four hundred attack points? That's cute, but it won't do you any good. I know for a fact that my Cosmic Horror Gangi'el is stronger then any dragon in your deck, and neither Light-end, Dark-end, or even Light and Darkness Dragon can touch Gangi'el, thanks to Cosmic Procession. Face it, you might as well surrender." Manjoume narrowed his eyes.

"Surrender? Heh, not likely. There's a far superior duelist that I need to defeat in this tournament, and neither I nor Light and Darkness Dragon will lose to the likes of you. Allow me to show you my real power. First, I sacrifice Wish Dragon to special summon two wish tokens. Next I activate my trap card, Reverse Trap; until the end of this turn, any effect that would change the attack or defense of a monster is reversed. Now I sacrifice my wish dragon tokens to summon Light and Darkness Dragon!" Manjoume shot his fist into the air as his dragon descended onto the field, appearing to be a surgical combination of Light-end and Dark-end, shining and glooming simultaneously. "Now I play the spell card Super Rejuvenation, which is negated by my dragon's effect, and with Reverse Trap, that raises its attack by five hundred." Light and Darkness Dragon roared as lightning flashed from its body to Manjoume's card, and rather then draining its power, it seemed to be infused with even more.

"Th-th-thirty three hundred! How could someone like you..."

"The reason you can say that is that you know nothing of me. You, like so many before you, heard the name Manjoume and thought that that told you all that you needed to know. I will allow Light and Darkness to deliver my rebuttal. Attack Cosmic Horror Gangi'el! Dark Baptism!" A blast of pure darkness shot out at the Cosmic Horror, punching right through it and leaving a path for the Rare Metal Dragon to strike directly at Takuma, leaving him with no life points left. "Oh, and by the way, Light and Darkness wasn't given to me; I earned it. If your truth can't handle that, then maybe you should give up on it." Manjoume then looked down at his duel disk, which was beeping for attention. "And it would seem that this phase of the tournament is over. I suppose I'll be seeing you in the stands, Takuma." Manjoume marched off back towards the Academia. Takuma sat there for a while, looking up at the stars, then looking down at his deck.

"I know I'm on the right track. I just need more power to prove it." For a moment it seemed as though something were obscurring his sight of the stars, but they shined as bright as they always did.

* * *

"I would like to, at this time, congratulate the eight of you; you have overcome the challenges presented by your classmates and have shown us all the potential that you possess. Seeing as it is rather late, we will resume the tournament in the morning. Oh yes, and your opponents will continue to be randomized, so be prepared to face anyone of the rest of your friends. Until then." Chancellor Samejima bowed and departed, leaving behind the eight finalists; Judai, Manjoume, Asuka, Shou, Misawa, Hayako, Momoe, and Junko. There was of course, considerable murmuring about how improbable that eight first years made it to the finals, and three of them Osiris Reds no less! But all those that had faced any of them in the course of the tournament quickly silenced the skeptics by way of their personal experience.

"Well guys, I guess we all made it." Judai faced his friends with a beaming grin on his face. "I can't wait to see how much stronger we've all gotten!" Junko and Momoe covered their mouths, concealing their laughter.

"Boy, nothing ever phases you, does it Judai?" Junko said with mirth in her voice.

"He's just a fool for the duel. But then again, that's not entirely a bad thing." Momoe added with a wink. Judai added his own laughter, and even Manjoume was willing to smile in the midst of all this good cheer. Which was why Judai found it so disconcerting that Asuka was not only not smiling, she was already leaving.

"Hey Asuka!" He tried to walk after her, but he felt a hand on his shoulder; it was Misawa.

"I guess you didn't hear, but they still haven't found Fubuki yet." Judai simply stared at Misawa.

"Yet? But, he's just hiding, and waiting for the most dramatic moment to show himself, right?" Manjoume sighed.

"As much as it would be nice to believe that, Fubuki would have told Asuka about his plans; there's no way he'd ever make her worry unnecessarily. He's a great brother, there's no doubt about that."

"Well, if that's what you think Manjoume, then you're probably right. But then, what do we do? I mean, if the school hasn't been able to find him, how are we?" Shou looked up at Judai, and tried to think of what his sister would say.

"Umm, well, I think that we should...that we should keep going ahead, and show her that we're not worried. I mean, we shouldn't act like we don't care, just that we have every confidence that he'll be found safe and sound."

"I guess that's a plan. But still, don't you guys think that we should talk to her? I'm pretty sure she could use a helping hand right now." Hayako shook her head at Judai.

"Asuqueen...I mean Asuka, she's very proud. She really wouldn't want us to say anything, imply that she can't handle it on her own. I used to think that...never mind what I used to think, right now I think that Shou has the right of it. Come on Judai, she'll be fine, you'll see."

* * *

"It still doesn't feel right." It was sometime near midnight, and while Judai had very much enjoyed the impromptu festivities, he couldn't help but worry about Asuka; she hadn't shown up at all, and he made Manjoume promise him that he would check up on her before he'd let him leave. Still, while he knew that Manjoume would do what he could for their friend, he still didn't like having to be...circuitous about it. All this thinking had the effect that he couldn't sleep, which he knew wouldn't be good for tomorrow. Having concluded that he wouldn't getting to sleep any time soon, Judai decided to go for a short walk, hoping the cool evening air would do the trick for his nerves. As he wandered across the campus, not thinking of where he was going, he found the Kaiser, seemingly doing the same thing as him.

"Hello Judai. I've learned that you, and all of your friends, have made it to the tournament finals. That's very good, and a sure sign of how much stronger you've become. If you keep this up, then you may earn the chance to face me again. But...I get the impression that the tournament isn't what you're thinking about right now."

"Well, no. I just, Asuka seems like she's taking Fubuki's disappearance pretty hard. I mean, I can understand, but the way she was acting earlier, I don't like it!" There was a prolonged silence between the two duelists. Then the Kaiser spoke, her voice calm and even.

"Give her time, Judai. She's very strong. She can handle this burden herself." Judai shook his head, feeling the same dissatisfaction as when Shou said the same thing.

"Well I know she can handle it herself, but why should she? I mean, we're her friends, so shouldn't we be there for her?" Kaiser Ryoko turned away, back towards the Obelisk Blue dorm.

"You will understand soon, but for her sake, don't behave foolishly." Judai stood there for a while, and looked up at the stars before returning to his room, knowing that his need for sleep would be overpowering by the time he got back.

* * *

"Daitokuji, where is Fubuki? Surely you must have some idea where he could be hiding?" Professor Chronos was practically at his wits end; after all, for even one student to disappear would be disasterous for the Academia, and that it was the star pupil Fubuki... "If we don't get to the bottom of this soon, other students could start disappearing. Surely you understand this Daitokuji?" Daitokuji looked up from his cat, whom had just been provided with a midnight snack, his face appearing grim in a way that only one who knew him well could recognize.

"I can assure you that the full manpower of the Academia is being employed in this search. And since there have been no departure's from the island in the last three days, we know that he's still around here somewhere. He will be found, rest assured of that, Professor Chronos." Then he turned to his cat. "There Pharaoh, I told you that that mackerel would be the best. Now do you understand? Yes, that's a very good cat."

Professor Chronos left Daitokuji's office, feeling distinctly un-reassured, and resolved to speak with Professor Hibiki about forming their own search effort. He also resolved to refrain from imagining all manner of unspeakibly awful things that could be happening to Fubuki at that very moment, since that wouldn't do anyone any good. He was less successful on that count then he would have liked to admit.


	19. Chapter 19

Brother vs Brother, Judai vs. Shou!

"Bro, are you sure you're okay? You don't look like you got enough sleep last night." Judai shook his head and rubbed at his bleary eyes. The two of them were walking towards the main hall, acutely aware that they were going to be the last ones to arrive, due in no small part to Judai's sleeping habits.

"Don't worry Shou, once the duel line-ups are announced, I'll be too full of energy to worry about a little thing like sleep. You'll see. More importantly, have you figured out what you're going to ask for if you win? I'll bet you want to duel your sister, don't you?" Shou looked down and away from Judai.

"Well, if I do win, and that's a big if considering that I'll have to face you at some point, I'd...well its kind of personal." Judai raised an eyebrow.

"Well, if you can't tell me, how are you going to tell Principal Samejima? I mean, I don't want to make you tell me, but you get what I'm trying to tell you, right?" Shou nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so. So, if I do make it past the first round, then I'll tell you. But not otherwise, got it?"

"Okay, that sounds like a deal." Now the two Osiris Red duelists were almost to their goal, and would be able to begin the tournament before long.

"By the way, what are you going to ask for? I mean, if you get to ask me, then I get to ask you."

"Well..." It was right then that the two of them crossed the boundary into the main dueling hall, where the others had already gathered; Hayako, Junko, and Momoe were together, and it sounded like the latter two were giving the former advice; whether it had to do with dueling or with 'girl' stuff, Judai couldn't hear. Manjoume was standing off by himself, his posture signaling his sheer desire to appear aloof, which meant that he was perfectly normal. Misawa was making hesitant efforts to talk with Asuka; it sounded like he was telling her about his theories concerning Fubuki's whereabouts and how he'd shared them with the professors only minutes ago. Asuka only responded with a calm "I see" at each of his theories, which ultimately led to Misawa walking off by himself.

"I guess I'll ask for the chance to duel the Kaiser." Shou raised an eyebrow at that, but before he could ask what Judai meant by 'I guess', Chancellor Samejima began to address them.

"Now that everyone has arrived, we may begin the second, and final stage of the Whim of Fate tournament. Much like yesterday, your opponents in each tier will be randomly determined, but unlike yesterday you will be given a brief period of time to adjust your deck before facing your opponent; this is to reflect that while the future can be uncertain, you can have time to prepare. And of course, the two final duelists will know exactly what they have to face from one another, which reflects those times in which you know what is coming. Now, I believe that Professor Daitokuji has a few words that he'd like to say regarding the search effort for our wayward Fubuki." Professor Daitokuji practically wandered onto the stage, seemingly putting more effort in making sure that Pharaoh was comfortable then in properly preparing himself. Such notions were quickly banished when he started to speak.

"I would like to begin by thanking everyone who has come forward with their suggestions and theories concerning how best to locate Fubuki." Daitokuji seemed to look right at Misawa as he said 'theories', but his speech didn't pause or change in pace at all. "In accordance with these suggestions, we have begun planting cameras all across the island; assuming that Fubuki is in fact on the move, this will improve our chances of catching such movement, and bring this mysterious occurence to a satisfactory end." At that point, Daitokuji seemed to brighten up. "Yes, I do believe that once Fubuki is found, he will have a most fascinating story to tell, since there is no doubt that whoever is behind this is somehow involved with the secret truth of Duel Monsters. Thank you, Chancellor Samejima, for allowing me to put the students minds at ease. I will take my leave now." Daitokuji walked off, but not before making sure that his cat was comfortably perched in his arms.

Professor Hibiki then came onto the stage and pointed up at a large monitor, which began to flash the finalists names in rapid succession. Everyone watched this intently, and suddenly the monitor stopped.

"Will Judai Yuki and Shou Marufuji please come on to the stage?" Judai punched his fist into his hand and practically leapt onto the stage, while Shou attempted a more stoic approach, with some success. Once each of them were at their designated places, Solid Vision emitters were used to conceal them from each other, giving them the privacy to adjust their decks. After five minutes, they were ready, and they faced each other.

"Bro, I want you to know that if you hold back against me, I'll never forgive you. I've gotten a lot stronger since our first day here, and if you don't take me seriously..."

"Ha ha, relax Shou! You know that I always give it my all. Let's just remember the most important rule in dueling; to have fun!" Shou nodded at Judai.

"I'll go first! I summon Armor Exe!" It was a humanoid creature seemingly made of molten rock, with vicious claws and a glowing purple gem embedded at the juncture of the collarbone. It also possessed 2400 attack points, a fact which was not lost on either the audience, the other finalists, or Judai.

"Wow Shou, you weren't kidding. I can tell this is going to be a tough one."

"Yep, but Armor Exe has a downside; during each of our standby phases, I have to remove a spell counter on the field to keep him around. Now I set three cards, and end my turn."

"All right, here I go!" Judai drew his next card and started to look over his hand.

"I activate my trap card, Pitch Black Power Stone! This card has three spell counters on it, so I remove one to keep Armor Exe on the field."

"That's real good Shou! Well, I guess I'll summon Elemental Hero Ice Edge in defense mode, then I set one card and end my turn."

"That won't be good enough against me bro! I remove another spell counter to keep Armor Exe on the field, and then I summon Silent Magician Level Four. Then I activate my second Pitch Black Power Stone and move one spell counter from it to Silent Magician, raising her attack power to fifteen hundred. And now I activate my trap card, Final Attack Orders, forcing all monsters on the field in attack mode." Elemental Hero Ice Edge, who was previously kneeling with his arms crossed protectively across his chest, now stood up with fists bared for battle. But with only 800 attack points, it wouldn't fare well against its opposition at all. And indeed, Armor Exe and Silent Magician Level Four both made short work of him, and while he hadn't been destroyed, Judai still took 2300 points of damage. "Now I set one card, and end my turn."

There were many in the stands who were now skeptical that this Shou was the same one that they'd heard about, but one young woman wasn't skeptical at all. She followed Shou's strategy intently, wondering what _he _would think of him. Meanwhile on the other side of the stands, a certain young man was grinding his fist, stubbornly refusing to verbally tell Judai to win. "How dare you be losing to that loser? My whole scheme will be ruined if you lose here!" he thought to to himself.

"Ouch, that was really good! My turn, draw!" As soon as his new card entered his hand, Silent Magician Level Four gained another spell counter, and Shou activated his third Pitch Black Power Stone and removed the spell counter from it to keep Armor Exe on the field. "All right, first I play R-Righteous Justice, and since I have one Elemental Hero on the field, I destroy your Final Attack Orders. Now that that's gone, I put Elemental Hero Ice Edge in defense mode, and then I summon Elemental Hero Ocean in defense mode. End turn."

Shou stared at Elemental Hero Ocean; why would Judai summon him, since Ice Edge can't be destroyed by his monsters? Of course, his face down card! It must activate when an Elemental Hero is destroyed. Shou knew exactly what to do about that. "First I remove the last spell counter from my first Pitch Black Power Stone to keep Armor Exe on the field." With no more power in it, that stone crumbled into nothing. "Next I move one spell counter from each of my remaining stones to Silent Magician Level Four, raising her attack power to three thousand." There were honest-to-goodness whistles of admiration coming from the audience; after all, it normally took an inordinate amount of time to raise Silent Magician's power, yet Shou was already on the cusp of summoning Silent Magician Level Eight. "And now I play the spell card, Giant Trunade, returning all spells and traps on the field to our hands. Silent Magician, attack Elemental Hero Ocean!" As its name would suggest, the Silent Magician's magic made no noise at all as it consumed Elemental Hero Ocean. Shou then re-set his Pitch Black Power Stones. "End turn."

Judai was really impressed, and he could really see that he was going to need everything he had to win this one. As he drew his card, Shou reactivated his Pitch Black Power Stone, using its renewed spell counters to keep Armor Exe on the field for another turn. Silent Magician Level Four also gained its fifth and final spell counter, raising her attack power to 3500. "All right, first I play O-Overcall to special summon Elemental Hero Ocean back on the field, and then I play Fusion, combining Ice Edge and Ocean into Elemental Hero Absolute Zero!" The resultant hero was built like Ocean, possibly a bit taller, but was girded in Ice Edge's armor, and with 2500 attack points, it was able to destroy Armor Exe for 100 points of damage. "Now I summon Elemental Hero Heat, set one card, and end my turn."

There was at this point some running commentary from a grouping of third year Obelisk Blue students, positing that they could wipe the floor with both Judai and Shou, and if not for the tournament's rules barring the participation of third years, they would have.

"Here I go, bro! Now that Silent Magician has all five spell counters, I sacrifice her to special summon Silent Magician Level Eight!" The moment the child-like magician was replaced with her more 'mature' counterpart, there was considerable cheering from the audience, and not all of it male. "Now I summon Maiden of Macabre, and move two spell counters onto her, raising her attack to twenty-one hundred. Maiden of Macabre, attack Elemental Hero Heat!" The Maiden readied her scythe, and in one swift movement, Elemental Hero Heat's head was seperated from his body. Judai's face down card went unactivated, which was very strange to Shou; if he didn't know Judai as well as he did, he'd think that his card was a bluff, but he did, so Shou knew that it wasn't. Still, there was nothing to do but to keep pressing the offensive. "Silent Magician Level Eight, attack Elemental Hero Absolute Zero!" With a 1000 attack point difference in favor of Silent Magician Level Eight, it seemed as though Judai's hero wouldn't stand a chance. And that, was when he activated his card.

"I activate Element Change; until the end of this turn, all monsters on the field are Water monsters, and for every water monster other then himself on the field, Elemental Hero Absolute Zero gains 500 attack points." Although disappointed that his Silent Magician would now be destroyed in this exchange, he was very glad that he'd made sure to destroy Elemental Hero Heat first, since that would have given Absolute Zero the edge in battle. As it was, the two monsters dashed back and forth, trying to gain the edge on one another but ultimately destroying each other simultaneously, and while Silent Magician Level Eight vanished in a flash of light, Elemental Hero Absolute Zero released a volley of icy blades just before his demise. This onslaught struck all of Shou's monster zones, destroying his Maiden of Macabre in the process.

"Bro...end turn."

"All right Shou, here I go! I play Magician's Archive, which lets me add a spell card from my deck to my hand. I add E-Emergency Call, and play it to add Elemental Hero Stratos to my hand. Now I summon him, and add Elemental Hero Lady Heat to my hand with his effect. Elemental Hero Stratos, attack directly." Shou had anticipated this, and in fact, welcomed it; it was confirmation that Judai was taking him seriously, giving his all to win. With the damage he just took, Shou felt one step closer to being a real duelist.

"I set one monster, and one card, and end my turn. I'm ready for you bro." Judai nodded at Shou.

"I can tell. I summon Elemental Hero Lady Heat, and attack your face down monster with her!" As Lady Heat rushed forwar, small but powerful fireballs held in her hands, Shou's monster was revealed as the Miracle Flipper, a determined looking girl even younger then the Silent Magician. The instant that she was destroyed by Lady Heat, Miracle Flipper reappeared on Judai's side of the field.

"When Miracle Flipper is destroyed in battle, she is special summoned onto the opponent's side of the field. And now I activate my trap card, Remove Brainwashing, which returns her back to my side of the field." Miracle Flipper glided across the field, just in time to intercept Elemental Hero Stratos's attack, and while 1500 points of damage made it through, it left Shou with 600 life points as opposed to 300, which was enough to survive Lady Heat's effect, which left him with only 200 life points. Furthermore, Miracle Flipper was once again on Shou's side of the field.

"I did it bro; I took the best you had, and I'm still here. Now I sacrifice my Miracle Flipper to summon Magical Marionette. Next I move the two remaining spell counters on my Pitch Black Power Stones onto Magical Marionette, which raises his attack to twenty-four hundred. Magical Marionette, attack Elemental Hero Lady Heat!" The monster, which had not long ago fought alongside Judai's heroes, now assaulted Lady Heat with cool professionalism, leaving Judai with only 400 life points. "Now I activate Magical Marionette's effect, and remove two spell counters to destroy Elemental Hero Stratos." The tiny knife wielding doll that the Magical Marionette wielded leapt onto Stratos's chest and made a surgical strike for the stomach, instantly finishing him off. "End turn."

Misawa, Hayako, and all the others were shocked; Shou, who previously could only support Judai, was now pushing him to his limits. The outcome of this duel really did depend on the outcome of this next draw. Judai looked down at his card, and smiled.

"This has been an incredible duel Shou. I wish I could keep it going a little longer, but I've got to give it my best, you know? I play Miracle Fusion, removing Stratos and Ocean from play to fusion summon Elemental Hero Typhoon!" Elemental Hero Typhoon had the same basic body type as Stratos, but instead of the odd mechanical wings it had mechanical fins along the length of his arms and legs, and in each arm was held a small trident. But with only 2000 attack points, it couldn't hope to best Magical Marionette. "Now I activate Typhoon's effect; in return for not being able to attack with him this turn, I can special summon a level four or lower Elemental Hero from my grave. I special summon Elemental Hero Lady Heat." It was over. All Judai had to do was to declare his turn over, and Elemental Hero Lady Heat's effect would finish the duel.

"Thank you Judai. You really did your best to defeat me. Thank you."

"No problem Shou. End turn." With that, Lady Heat launched a fireball just past Magical Marionette, burning away the last of Shou's life points.

"Judai Yuki," Professor Hibiki's voice called out, "is the victor! We will have a short recess before beginning the next duel." As everyone around them discussed the duel that they'd just witnessed, Judai and Shou were approached by Professor Hibiki, who put her hands on their shoulders. "That was really good, the both of you; you've both grown up so much, especially you Judai." Shou was practically bug-eyed at that. Judai seemed the same as always, so what was Professor Hibiki talking about?

"Well, I'm just trying to help out. Its no big deal, really."

"I don't think Shou thinks the same, but why don't you two talk about it amongst yourselves? It will be a while before you have to duel again Judai." Judai nodded at Professor Hibiki.

"Sure thing! Come on Shou, we've got a lot to talk about!"

As Judai and Shou left the stage, Aina Yamada left the audience, for she'd been insulted twice over; first that the boy who'd defeated her had himself been defeated in the first tier of the finals, and second, that this had confirmed that he truly was nothing like Tomoaki, which meant that she felt especially foolish for associating them in her mind in the first place.

As for Ken Suzuki, he felt a cool sense of satisfaction; after all, only he could defeat his rival, and each victory that Judai achieved would ultimately be a victory for him.

* * *

"Eh, you mean that? You were going to request that someone be made a student again, after they already dropped out?" Shou nodded; they were both back in the hallway, out of sight of everyone, whose minds were focused elsewhere.

"Yeah. People deserve second chances, don't you think? I mean, he sounded like a great guy, and if he knew that there were people here who wanted him back..."

"Don't worry Shou. From what you told me, she'll find him when she's ready, and he'll figure it before long."

"Eh? Bro, I didn't mention anything about a girl?"

"You didn't? I guess my intuition must be pretty sharp then!" Shou smiled gently at Judai; maybe he hadn't won, but thanks to Judai, he was able to have fun, and that's all he could ask for.

"Come on Judai, let's get back inside, so that we don't want to miss the next duel!" And so they walked together as brothers.


	20. Chapter 20

Pride of the Blue, Courage of the Red!

"Will Jun Manjoume and Hayako Maeda please come onto the stage?" To say that Hayako was in a dead shock at having to duel the elite of the elite, Jun Manjoume, would be an entirely accurate assessment that fully encapsulated Hayako's feelings on the subject. At least, for that moment it was the case. In the next moment, Judai, Shou, and all the others save Manjoume and Asuka gave her supportive glances. She was especially appreciative of Junko and Momoe, who had rather then try to lecture her on her dueling style had given her...well, fashion advice that didn't try to change her body shape. After years and years of background cultural noise informing her sense of beauty, the idea that there was a real alternative...it would have to wait, as Manjoume had already gotten onto the dueling stage and was waiting for her, as was everyone else. She then rushed up to the stage and glanced at the audience; Misa Watsuki was nowhere to be found, but that was to be expected. Hayako had come to realize just how temperamental her one time tormentor truly was.

"I see that you've decided to join us." Manjoume addressed her calmly, without any feeling. "If Shou Marufuji was able to improve his performance as much as he has, then you might serve as a worthy stepping stone on my path to defeating Judai." Manjoume then took a moment to look at Judai, who responded by grinning and giving a quick thumbs up; something that was typical Judai, yet still threw Manjoume off his element, so it took him a moment longer then he'd intended to resume speaking to Hayako. "But let me assure you that this duel has one outcome."

"Maybe it does, but you can't know that until afterwards. I have something to prove, just like you, and I won't go down easy." Manjoume smirked.

"Good; that keeps things interesting. Let's duel!" Professor Hibiki cleared her throat and reminded the two duelists of the procedure that they were to follow, and so Manjoume and Hayako entered the isolation holograms, and made last minute adjustments to their decks. During this time Manjoume examined his Light and Darkness Dragon intently; he found that despite his efforts, there was an almost imperceptible tear in the lower left corner. Not enough to keep it from being playable, legible, or even to be noticed by even your average dedicated duelist, but Manjoume wasn't any duelist, and this wasn't any card. He remembered the first time he'd won the card, and how almost immediately thereafter he wrote a brief story of how he and the Light and Darkness Dragon went on glorious adventures together. Once his brothers found it, it ceased to exist shortly thereafter, save in the Manjoume brother's memories. But, such was life, and Manjoume didn't let it concern him overmuch. Satisfied that his deck was in order, and more then capable of handling whatever that first-year repeating Osiris Red girl could come up with, he emerged, ready for battle.

* * *

"Honestly, how is it possible for one young man, even if that young man is Fubuki, to dissappear so effectively?" Professor Chronos de Medici was out, somewhere on the western side of the island and near the volcano, searching for some clue to Fubuki's whereabouts. After three hours of this, he was willing to accept anything from a divine gift of the heavens, to even the most base...sample that any tracker was taught to look for. Not that Chronos had ever been taught such a base activity, but background knowledge being what it was, he knew enough as far as he was concerned. So it was that he continued his efforts, until he came upon something most interesting; it was one of the campus security members that Professor Daitokuji had organized for his search. To be more specific, he was resting just below a newly installed camera, positioned such that he wouldn't show up on it. Professor Chronos de Medici marched up to the man, and snapped his fingers right in the man's ears. This, he'd found from years of educating not-so-eager young minds, was the ideal way to wake someone up, and it worked to ideal effect.

"Pro-Professor Chronos! What are you doing here? Aren't you, don't you have responsibilities to attend to at the tournament?" Professor Chronos looked down at him, down his own nose to be precise.

"Professor Hibiki is handling the tournament quite fine. And don't you have certain responsibilities to be attending to? Such as the successful rescue of FUBUKI?" The security member leapt to his feet and began bowing deeply to Professor Chronos.

"Yes, of course, right away Professor Chronos. I'll get right to it!"

Perhaps it was worry, or the anxiety of knowing that he didn't know the truth behind this strange mystery, but it seemed to Chronos that the security member was more intent on making it appear that he was engaged in a missing person's search, then in actually doing so! And shouldn't he have said 'I'll get right _back_ to it'? Maybe it was just one lazy employee, but Professor Chronos de Medici couldn't shake the suspicion that there was more to this.

Then again, maybe he was letting his dislike of his male colleague get the better of him. After all, anyone who had gotten to know him and that cat of his as he had would be inclined to be suspicious of him, even in situations that didn't warrant it. So even though, as far as he was concerned, this was a situation that did warrant suspicion, he kept those particular suspicions in the back of his mind, and redoubled his focus on finding Fubuki. This was especially important, if his suspicions were even remotely true.

* * *

"Hayako, are you ready yet? It's time for the duel to start." In one sense, Hayako was ready; her deck was freshly reorganized and shuffled, and her duel disk was fully operational. So what if she was hesitant to face Manjoume? Why shouldn't she be? He was an elite among elites, one of the best first years alongside Judai, Misawa, and Asuka. Then Hayako looked down at her sketch of Eva, looked at the angry scowl on her face, and remembered what she was there to do.

"I'm ready, Professor Hibiki." Hayako strided out, her head held up high, though still only reaching Manjoume's shoulders. She armed her duel disk, holding as intense a look in her eye as she could. "I'm ready for you Manjoume, and I'm going to do my best to defeat you."

"Humph." Manjoume looked down at Hayako, and armed his duel disk. "It looks like your resolve won't waver that easilly. That should keep things interesting while I wait for the real duel. I'll go first! I summon Dragonic Warrior to the field." A warrior, girded in dragon themed armor and wielding a massive sword, appeared. "Next I play Dragonic Contract; when Dragonic Warrior is on the field, I can special summon a level four or lower Dragon from my deck. Come forth, Rare Metal Dragon!" The bellowing roar that followed the arrival of Rare Metal Dragon caused many students to shift back in their seats, very slightly. "Your turn." Manjoume smiled inwardly; he knew that regardless of whatever pep talks that this Osiris Red had gotten from the others, there was no way that she could go on the offensive against his line up.

"First, I summon Rampaging Rhinos in attack mode!" A humanoid Rhino, armored like an American football player and wielding a moderately sized battleaxe appeared, but with only 1500 attack points it was unclear how it was going to emerge victorious. "Next I play Wild Nature's Release, raising the attack power of my Beast-Warrior by his defense power, for three thousand attack points. Furthermore, when Rampaging Rhinos attacks, he gains five hundred attack points. Rampaging Rhinos, attack Rare Metal Dragon!" With the addition of his own effect, Rampaging Rhinos had 3500 attack points, giving his axe more then enough power to cleave through Rare Metal Dragon for 1100 points of damage. "Unfortunately, at the end of the battle phase, Wild Nature's Release destroys my monster." Indeed, only moments after his victory, Rampaging Rhinos collapsed, and vanished. "Now I set one card, and end my turn."

"You..." Manjoume stared at the spot where Rare Metal Dragon was only moments ago. "You are a fool. You've destroyed my Rare Metal Dragon, but now you're exposed, and have no monster to protect you. I summon Red Wyrm!" Like Guivre, this was a wyvern styled dragon, but featuring fire red scales.

"I activate my trap card, Wild Beast Response!" Hayako called out, sticking her hand out for emphasis. "When you summon a monster, I can special summon a Beast or Beast-Warrior from my grave, with five hundred additional attack points. Return, Rampaging Rhinos!" A mighty fist punched up through the ground, and was followed up by the rest of Rampaging Rhinos.

"That won't be good enough. I equip Red Wyrm with Dragon Unit, raising his attack power by four hundred for each dragon on my side of the field, for a total attack power of twenty five hundred. Red Wyrm, attack!" Red Wyrm unleashed a massive column of fire upon Rampaging Rhinos, and once the ashes were blown away, Dragonic Warrior attacked directly, and their combined strikes did a total of 2000 points of damage. "You may have let Judai's...talents lead you to believe that you could do the same, but after this duel, you will understand your place in the pecking order. End turn."

"You're wrong." Hayako was breathing hard; not because of exhaustion, but because of excitement! This was a really fun duel, and it _was_ Judai who'd helped her to see that. "I've only just begun to duel! I play Gather Fierce Beast, sending one Beast from my hand to the grave to special summon a Beast from my hand; I discard Spike Rhinos to summon Winged Rhinos!" This monster was much like Rampaging Rhinos, except that it had a bird's wings and feet, and wielded a spiked clulb instead of an axe. "And now I have only one card in my hand, and one normal summon to conduct on this turn. I summon Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight!" With a thunderous crash, Swift Gaia raced onto the field, taking a moment to nod his head to Hayako before raising his lances into battle position. "Winged Rhynos, attack Dragonic Warrior, then attack Red Wyrm, Swift Gaia!" As Winged Rhinos struck down the Dragonic Warrior, Red Wyrm became weak enough for the swift knight to run him through. But with the Red Wyrm's dying breath, he launched one last blast of fire at Hayako for 500 points of damage.

Manjoume then looked down at his hand. "I have to concede; you are keeping this duel interesting. For you to accomplish that...is impressive. I set one monster from my hand, and end my turn." Hayako was stunned; she'd actually put Manjoume on the defensive! "Well...go ahead, attack!"

"All right Manjoume, you asked for it! Winged Rhinos, attack his face down monster." As soon as Winged Rhinos brought its club down on the monster, a pair of bombs were suddenly lobbed by the newly revealed Bomb Dragon; bombs that struck Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight dead on, dropping his attack power by 300 points. This meant that when the knight attacked Manjoume directly, he only took 2000 points of damage, leaving him with 400 life points to Hayako's 1500.

There was at this point some very divided commentary on the significance of that exchange; some felt that Manjoume was getting his ass handed to him, while others felt that this really was part of his plan all along. However, such speculation ceased when Manjoume raised his arm into the air, silencing the crowd. There were those who noted to themselves the similarity between this action and the way that Fubuki had dueled, which most found to be reassuring.

"This, is as far as you go, Hayako Maeda! I set one card, and end my turn!" The flourish that Manjoume applied at this point caused many in the stands to cheer, a fact that caused Manjoume to smile inwardly. Most notable among those who did not cheer were Asuka, who decided at that point that she needed a drink of water and left to find a water fountain, and Judai, who saw Asuka's response but didn't follow. He knew that, regardless of what was happening with Asuka, he couldn't walk away from his friends, and it wasn't like he knew what to do or say any how.

"Winged Rhinos, attack directly!" Winged Rhinos flapped his wings and swooped down at Manjoume.

"Trap card activate, Immortal Dragon! I special summon Rare Metal Dragon back to the field." Now with the powerful Rare Metal Dragon opposing it, the Winged Rhinos faltered.

"And now I activate Winged Rhinos's effect; when you activate a trap card, I can return Winged Rhinos back to my hand, and now I summon him back to the field in defense mode. Then I switch Swift Gaia to defense, and end my turn." Now both monsters were in defensive position, keeping Hayako's life points safe.

"That was clever. Very well, I won't hold back on this round; first I play The Two Sides, sacrificing my Dark Attribute Rare Metal Dragon to summon the Light End Dragon! Next I activate Light End's effect, sacrificing five hundred attack points to reduce your Swift Gaia's defense by fifteen hundred. And now I play Dragonic Enrage, allowing my attack to penetrate your defense; Light End Dragon, Shining Sublimation!" A blinding flash of light, and it was all over; Manjoume had won, just as he knew he would. Despite her best efforts, Hayako couldn't help falling to her knees and punching the ground in frustration.

"Gah. I guess you were right Manjoume, I never stood a chance against-"

"Enough! I don't duel against the weak. Remember that, Hayako Maeda." Manjoume then turned away, returning to the rest of the group. Hayako looked down at her deck, and then did the same.

"Seriously Hayako, that was really good. One more monster and you would have had him!" Junko had her hand on Hayako's shoulder, and was followed up by Momoe doing the same.

"Yep. If you like, we can help you refine your deck even more, so that next time you do win."

Judai smiled at the way his friends supported one another, and silently thanked them before exiting into the main hall. Or at least he tried to, but Misawa stopped him.

"We made an agreement, remember? Unless you plan on pulling Fubuki out of a hat, there's nothing you can say to her."

"I was just going to let her know how the duel went. She should know what to watch out for if she ends up dueling Manjoume." Misawa sighed and stepped aside.

"All right, but keep it at that; nothing about Fubuki, got it?" Judai nodded, and departed.

* * *

Damn it, why did it have to be so hard? Asuka understood that weeping and sobbing and being a simpering little damsel wouldn't do any good, but there was that part of her that wanted to do just that. Fubuki was missing, possibly injured, possibly scared out of his mind, possibly...no! She was in the middle of a tournament, and the best way that she could help her brother was to keep winning. She had to remain strong, and focused, and-

"Hey Asuka, you sure missed a great finish! Even though Manjoume won, Hayako did a great job, and even Manjoume said so. Don't you think that was really great of him?" Asuka was momentarilly distracted by Judai's arrival, and her mask slipped, just a little.

"He said that?" Then she moved the mask back into place. "It's not that unexpected; after all, Hayako has improved greatly, and Manjoume does appreciate those who build up their own strength, like you. I should get back then, since I could be next to duel." Judai nodded slowly as Asuka walked past him, not bothering to look back or aknowledge him.

"Asuka!" She stopped, but she didn't turn around. "Just, just remember to have fun! 'Cause that's the number one rule of dueling!"

Asuka didn't say anything in response, but Judai hoped that at least that little reminder would help; it would have to, since it was the only thing he could come up with.


	21. Chapter 21

Angels and Yokai, a Match Made in...?

"Asuka, I can't really claim to know what you're going through; I am an only child, and I never had many friends growing up. But I can assure you, that when you're ready, that I will be here for you, and that I will always be here for you...no, that's not it!" Misawa was standing in a corner, positioning himself such that while he would remain aware of everything that was happening around him, no one would be able to see the movements of his mouth as he spoke to himself. He then took a quick look over at Judai, who while talking with Manjoume about their duels, would occasionally take his own glances at Asuka, who was at the opposite end of the room by herself. To his credit, it didn't seem that Judai had said anything stupid to her, which was, in all honesty, a real possibility; the Osiris Red 'genius' had more then once demonstrated a compulsive need to 'help' his friends, which didn't always work out. "Still, both on and off the dueling field, he is an excellent rival." That was when Professor Hibiki spoke.

"Daichi Misawa and Junko Makita, please come onto the stage and prepare for your duel." Misawa then turned to face his newly announced opponent, who'd been engaged in conversation with Momoe and Hayako, and now returned his gaze.

"Well Misawa, looks like it's yellow against yellow, and while you might be the 'philosopher' of Ra Yellow, you underestimate me at your peril...ha ha ha." She wiped her hand across her eyes, as though to wipe away tears of laughter. Then she became stern again and pointed her finger at Misawa. "But seriously, I expect you to use your full power if you want to defeat me." Misawa bowed, very slightly.

"I would never give my opponent anything less." They then moved onto the stage, and as soon as the solid vision rooms emerged, they tweaked their decks expertly, drawing upon everything that they knew about their opponent; Misawa understood that Junko specialized in Counter-Fairies, and reinfoced his ability to summon monsters from the grave, while Junko brought in a specific card to counter Misawa's deck.

She then reminisced about a duel simulation that she and Momoe had set up for each other in secret, and in that simulator, she lost more often then not against Misawa's deck, until she got this card from Professor Daitokuji, and now she idly wondered if the cat obsessed professor knew that this duel would be coming; she certainly wouldn't have put it past him. But that was enough of that; she put the card into her deck, shuffled, and emerged ready for battle.

"Let's duel, Misawa!"

"Yes, let's!"

* * *

"Principal Samejima, why are you bothering me? I have a very important meeting to keep with Isis Ishtar, and I can't afford the idle speculation of the masses that would emerge if I were 'delayed'." Chancellor Samejima sighed inwardly; despite the fact that she was more then twenty years older then him, there was no denying that Seto Kaiba held more authority then she ever would, and he made sure that she knew it. It was curious, the way he somehow managed to appear his true age of twenty eight, his appearence at age seventeen at the height of the Battle City tournament, and far older then even herself. Samejima supposed that this was an expression of his timeless power.

"I had hoped that I'd be able to resolve this without having to bother you, but the fact is that one of the students has gone missing and we have been unable to locate him or any clue to his whereabouts. All that we do know is that he is somewhere on the Island, since it would have been impossible for him to have escaped it." Seto Kaiba raised an eyebrow, seemingly without using any muscles in his face.

"Impossible? Why do you say that?" Samejima found it odd, the way he said he didn't want to deal with the rumors if he didn't make his meeting with Miss Ishtar on schedule, yet the undeniable scandal that a disappearance would make didn't faze him at all.

"Because he was last seen on the day before our 'Whim of Fate' tournament began, and there have been no arrivals or departures from the Island in that time. Like I said, there would be no way for anyone to smuggle him off the Island."

"...Principal Samjima, I'll be brief; I have no doubt in the competence of my employees, else they would not be my employees to begin with. Therefore, since you haven't been able to find him on the island, despite the staff, resources, and time you've had available to you, it would be prudent to reconsider your belief that he is still on the Island. If you need any further information, I would suggest consulting the records on the Duelist Kingdom and Battle City tournaments; the one's _I_ provided to your staff. Now then, I have no more time." And with that Seto Kaiba closed the connection on the solid vision phone.

"The records that he provided us...!" Principal Samejima arose with a shock and immediately phoned Professor Daitokuji.

"Yes? I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that no progress has been made on the search, but I will let you and everyone else know as soon as anything is found concerning Fubuki and/or his captors."

"Professor Daitokuji, I need you to bring me the records on the Duelist Kingdom and Battle City tournaments. _Those_ ones."

"...Do you mean that you suspect that Fubuki's disappearance is part of a Shadow Game?" Principal Samejima rubbed her forehead; at the mention of the word, it felt like a memory was trying to emerge, but it was so fleeting that she attributed it to a renewed sense of panic at the realization of how dire their situation truly was.

"Yes, and I need to study those records to be certain."

"Of course, Principal Samejima, I will bring them to you immediately. Oh, don't worry Pharaoh, I'll leave you some food before I leave." It seemed that Professor Daitokuji was too distracted to turn off his phone right away, but he did remember himself, and Principal Samejima slumped back into her chair. She had been skeptical about the real reason that the Duel Academia had been founded, but it seemed that, after three years, its true purpose would now be coming into play at last. She just hoped that they had prepared the students for the trials that awaited them.

* * *

"I'll go first; First I summon Bountiful Artemis in defense mode, then I set two cards and activate The Dimensional Fissure!" There was thunderous crash as a gash tore into being in the air, hovering ominously above both duelists. "So long as Dimensional Fissure is on the field, any monsters that would be sent to the grave are instead removed from the game. In one move, Misawa, I've sealed your deck!" From the audience emerged an appreciative whistle, and for a moment Misawa thought that it might have been Kazuki Aoyama, but a quick look revealed it to be a third year Osiris Red, and so Misawa put that concern out of his mind as he started his turn.

"I'll begin by playing Mystical Space Typhoon, and destroy The Dimensional Fissure!" A howling wind tore through the spatial rupture, and after a few seconds of struggle, The Dimensional Fissure was no more.

"Well it figures that the 'philosopher' would be able to counter my counter. But don't forget, I still have two other cards on the field, and they'll be more then enough to handle you."

"Heh, we'll see. I summon Gozuki to the field!"

"And now I activate my trap card, Horn of Heaven!" A massive, heavenly if you will, horn appeared, like the one's you'd see in depictions of Ancient Greece. "By sacrificing one monster on my side of the field, I can negate the summoning of one of your monsters, and now I activate my other trap card, Synthetic Seraphim!" An odd looking construct with angelic qualities appeared. "Whenever I activate a counter trap card, I can special summon a Synthetic Seraphim Token, and it's that token that I'll sacrifice for Horn of Heaven." Indeed, even though the Synthetic Seraphim lacked anything that could be considered a mouth, it was still able to blow a bellowing note that separated Gozuki from the living.

"Now I play Monster Reincarnation, sending one card from my hand to the grave to return Gozuki to my hand. Then I set one card, and end my turn." Misawa then made a mental note to himself to make sure that he would have more then one way to keep his monsters from being removed from play; he couldn't always count on a timely Mystical Space Typhoon, after all.

"My turn; I summon Meltiel the Sage of the Sky, then I put Bountiful Atremis in attack mode and attack you directly!" Bountiful Artemis raised its artificial wings and flew up to Misawa, and was now mere moments away from striking Misawa.

"Trap card activate, Haunted Shrine; if I have no monsters on the field, I can special summon a zombie-type from my graveyard. I special summon Crow Tengu from the grave in defense mode, and use his effect to destroy Bountiful Artemis." The Crow Tengu brought his fan down on Bountiful Artemis, banishing it to the grave. Meltiel followed up and sliced through the Crow Tengu, but did no damage to Misawa's life points.

"Well damn, that's exactly what I was hoping to prevent. All right, I set one card, and end my turn."

"Very well then, I play the spell card Premature Burial, special summoning Crow Tengu from the grave at the cost of eight hundred life points, and I use his effect to destroy your Meltiel. Next I summon Gozuki from my hand." Junko snapped her fingers.

"Trap card activate, Forced Back; I negate a normal summon and send your monster back to your hand, and with Synthetic Seraphim I special summon a Synthetic Seraphim Token. Sorry Misawa, but you're not touching my life points this turn either." Indeed, the Synthetic Seraphim token proved an effective, if only temporary barrier for Junko's life points.

"Well done...I have nothing more to do, so now it's your turn."

"My pleasure, and I'll start by summoning Harvest Angel of Wisdom." The golden armor that Harvest wore had numerous gaps, revealing verdant green skin, and oddly enough his wings grew out of the sides of his legs, and in his hand he held a miniature Horn of Heaven. "Harvest, attack Crow Tengu!" He brought the horn to his face plate, and blew; the cacophonous sound shattered Crow Tengu, as though the goblin crow were made of glass. A small portion of that sound bled through, dealing 400 points of damage to Misawa. "I set one card, and that's it for my turn."

"And now for mine; I summon the Pyramid Turtle and attack your Harvest Angel." The Pyramid Turtle was, as one might expect, a turtle that carried a pyramid on its back, and in following with the questionable logistics of this design, Pyramid Turtle had only 1200 attack points, and so was promptly destroyed for 600 points of damage, leaving behind a rapidly crumbling pyramid. "And now Pyramid Turtle's effect activates; when its destroyed in battle, I can special summon a zombie type monster from my deck with two thousand defense or less. I special summon Goka, the Pyre of Malice!" The pyre burst out of the pyrmaid, finishing it off, and firing off an intense blast of hell fire at Harvest for 400 points of damage.

"Very clever Misawa, but when Harvest is destroyed by battle, I can return one counter trap from my graveyard to my hand; I choose Horn of Heaven." Curiously enough, just before Harvest was completely consumed by the fire, he tossed his Horn of Heaven to Misawa, who in turn retrieved the appropriate card at just the right time, so as to make it seem as though she'd caught the horn that had been tossed to her.

"...hmm. End turn." Misawa figured that that stunt was the product of much practice, and while it was strictly speaking unneccessary, it also spoke to the fact that she'd planned for Harvest to be destroyed. He found this...intriguing, and he began to wonder just how much of her persona as a boy-crazy flirt was a mask that she wore.

"All right then, let's see...I set two cards, and end my turn." It was small, but Misawa could hear a subtle shift in Junko's voice; it signalled to him that she was done warming up, and it wouldn't be long before she brought out her full power. Still, there was no sense in delaying the inevitable.

"First, I use Goka's effect to special summon a fireball token, and then I sacrifice it to raise its attack power to twenty-seven hundred. Next I summon from my hand Ittan Momen." Junko mentally noted that the 'philosopher' could learn after all.

"I activate Horn of Heaven, and sacrifice my newly summoned Synthetic Seraphim token to destroy your Ittan Momen." At this point, Ittan Momen would normally reduce one of Junko's monster's attack power by 500, but since she had no monsters on the field, the effect couldn't activate.

"But Goka is still here; Goka, attack directly!" The hell fire was mere centimeters away from Junko when it started to churn about in place, phasing out in the air, and when the fire stopped, there was a new Synthetic Seraphim token.

"Negate Attack is a counter trap too. Do you have any cards left that you want to play? No? Then I'll go next; first I sacrifice my Synthetic Seraphim token to summon Airknight Parshath, and then I sacrifice Parshath to special summon Neo-Parshath the Sky Paladin!" The angelic centaur vanished into light and was reborn into a faceless angel whose body seemed to be mostly wings and feathers. "Neo-Parshath, attack Goka! Heavenly Slice!" Goka attempted to fend off Neo-Parshath, but the fuel provided by fireball token was exhausted, and it crumbled away under the onslaught as Misawa took 100 points of damage. "And now that Neo-Parshath did battle damage, I get to draw one card, its Zeradias the Herald of Heaven, which I discard to add The Sanctuary in the Sky to my hand, and now I play it." Now in its native environ, Neo-Parshath seemed renewed, and in fact its attack power rose with great haste. "When The Santuary in the Sky is on the field, Neo-Parshath gains attack and defense equal to the difference in our life points, and now I activate my trap card Solar Ray." A solid beam of light passed through Neo-Parshath and struck Misawa dead on for 600 points of damage, bringing a 2100 life point difference between Junko and Misawa.

"Forty-four hundred attack points, and its attack penetrates my defense...damn, I may not be able to win this one." Misawa looked at his hand; he had two-thirds of what he would need to win, but unless he drew that third piece, that third card, he wouldn't get the chance to try again. But, remembering the legendary duelist Jounouchi, he knew that there was no sense in hesitating at this critical juncture; after all, if he didn't win, he couldn't face Judai, nor could he show Asuka the strength of his convictions. He drew his card, and his strategy was complete.

"First I summon Gozuki from my hand, and then I use his effect to send Mezuki to the grave. Then I remove Mezuki from play to special summon Crow Tengu from the grave, and destroy your Neo-Parshath!" As powerful as Neo-Parshath was, it was still vulnerable to the banishment by Crow Tengu. "Now I play Reinforcement of the Ghosts, special summoning Ittan Momen and Pyramid Turtle from the grave at the cost of one thousand life points."

"So," Junko said with her head held high, "I take it you're going to attack directly now, yes?" Misawa shook his head.

"Not yet, for this is not yet my full power. When I have at least two zombie type monsters on the field, I can special summon Kasha, the cart of Hell from my hand!" It was one of those old fashioned hand pulled carts that you would see all the time in period pieces, except for the demonic motifs, and fire for wheels. Then the cart opened up, and absorbed all of Misawa's monsters into it. "Kasha returns all monsters on the field to their owner's deck, and for each zombie monster so sent, Kasha gains one thousand attack points. Attack, Flaming cart of Hell!" The wheels detached and rushed into Junko, who winced at their passing. With four thousand points of damage, she had no more life points, and the duel was over.

"Heh...damn, and to think, if you hadn't destroyed the Dimensional Fissure, you wouldn't have stood a chance. Next time, Misawa, I'll figure out the real trick to defeating you." Junko said this as she walked up to Misawa, and grabbed his hand to cement her vow. It was then that he realized that he'd acquired a rival of his own, and he...also realized that she was squeezing his hand rather hard.

"Um, I believe we should step down now, Asuka and Momoe will be dueling soon." Junko nodded, and let go. As Misawa walked off the stage, he rubbed his hand, and wondered whether Jounouchi's rivalry with Mai Kujaku was anything like this.


	22. Chapter 22

Swift and Certain, the Frozen Heart Strikes!

"Momoe Hamaguchi, Asuka Tenjouin, please come up to the stage for the fourth duel of the first tier." At this point Professor Hibiki was tired of the stilted formality, of repeating the same essential message over and over again; next time she was going to have Professor Chronos de Medici handle this. It was the sort of thing that he enjoyed doing anyway. This weariness was quickly banished, at least from her mind if not from her body, when Momoe and Asuka came onto the stage. Up close, it was easy to see that Asuka was closing herself off, tighter and cooler. It was obvious why she was doing this, and while Professor Hibiki would have liked to take her aside to get to open up; the last thing that she, 'Asuqueen' as her fans in the stands cheerfully called her, needed was to have a scene made, and a special exception for her would have been just that.

"So Asuka, looks like its you and me now. May the best girl win!" Momoe stuck out her hand, which Asuka recieved in a stiff, formal manner.

"Indeed." Momoe then went into the solid vision chamber, and after she emerged, was surprised to discover that Asuka hadn't moved so much as a centimeter. "I don't want to waste time. Let's duel!"

Judai, meanwhile, was in a word, concerned. He knew that he hadn't said much, but he'd hoped that it would have reached her anyway.

"I'll go first," Asuka said with a distinct chill in her voice. "I summon Mother Grizzly in defense mode, and end my turn." Judai noticed that unlike his duel with Asuka, this time the monster was in defense mode; he hoped that this didn't mean anything more then a more cautious strategy.

"You know, I can tell that you're not taking me seriously. This better not be how you really feel about me, because I do take you seriously. I'll start my turn by summoning the Goblin Elite Attack Force!" The Goblin Elite Attack Force was much like the regular variety, except for being armored and armed in medieval era weaponry, as opposed to more primitive refinery. "And now I play Stop Defense, forcing your Mother Grizzly into attack mode. Goblin Elite Attack Force, you know what to do!" Momoe said this with a wink to her monsters, and as far as a few audience members were concerned, to them too. The Elite Goblin Attack Force expertly surrounded the Mother Grizzly, and quickly dispatched it for 800 points of damage. Once done with their duty, the goblins returned to their side of the field in defense mode, recovering their energy for their next assault.

"Mother Grizzly's effect allows me to special summon a water monster with fifteen hundred attack power or less from my deck; I special summon Cure Mermaid." So far, so good, Judai noted to himself. Things were going just like his duel, more or less. Momoe, however, was far from done.

"Now I play the permanent spell card, Vengeful Bog Spirit, which forbids any monster from attacking on the turn they are summoned, and then I play Magic Reflector; so long as it is on the field, any effect that would destroy Vengeful Bog Spirit destroys it instead. Now my turn is over." Misawa noted to himself that if Junko had used that card alongside The Dimensional Fissure, then she would have won hands down. Indeed, the quick glances between Junko and Momoe confirmed to him that they'd drawn upon this knowledge for Momoe's duel.

Asuka then drew her card, and glared at it, as though it offended her somehow.

"This duel is over." This forceful, cold statement by Asuka brought forth much murmuring in the crowd.

"Oh come on, Asuqueen might be good, but I know for a fact that she isn't that damn good. It took her forever to get through me after all." Eva Nomura sat back in her seat as she muttered to herself, sincerely hoping that Asuka was bluffing.

"But Asuka, you can't attack. How do you expect to win." Momoe said this, and the gaze she recieved from Asuka told her that she would find out soon enough.

"First I activate Cure Mermaid's effect, restoring eight hundred of my life points. Next I play Frozen Suspension, negating the effect of your Vengeful Bog Spirit so long as it is on the field, and since I'm not destroying Vengeful Bog Spirit, your Magic Reflector does nothing." Indeed, the entirety of the Vengeful Bog Spirit now appeared to be encased in ice, its influence on the field gone. "Next I summon Frost Tiger," a tiger with a pair of frozen spikes jutting out of its shoulders, "and then I play Big Wave Small Wave, allowing me to send all Water monsters on my field to the grave, to special summon an equal number of Water Monsters from my hand. Come forth, Ice Master and Ice Queen." Standing together, the two monsters were the image of regal power; Ice Queen, dressed in her ballroom dress and blinding visor-crown, while holding up an impressive scepter, was especially striking.

"I'll admit, they can beat my goblins in a fight, but you still can't finish me on this turn." Ice Master responded by raising her wand, freezing the Goblin Elite Attack Force where they stood.

"Ice Master's effect, to add one Ice Counter to your monster. Ice Queen's effect; by paying five hundred life points, I can take control of one water monster on your side of the field." Momoe raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about? Goblin Elite Attack Force is earth attribute, not water...it couldn't be...the Ice Counter!" With a wave of her scepter, the Ice Queen drew the frozen Elite Goblin Attack force to her side, leaving Momoe's side empty.

"Yes, that's exactly it. Ice Master, Ice Queen, direct attack; Cold Blizzard Combination." With Ice Master's 2500 attack points, and Ice Queen's 2900, the combined whirlwind of ice and hail wiped out Momoe's life points in an instant. Everyone was in shock; the duel was over before it had even begun, and Asuka made her way off the stage, not saying anything to her opponent or anyone else, as the crowd cheered out "Asuqueen! Asuqueen!".

* * *

Kaiser Ryoko was of two minds regarding the duel she'd just observed; It was of course a source of great pride to see her hand chosen successor duel so skillfully, to completely negate her opponent's strategy perfectly. But the attitude that Asuka had employed was disconcerting; while Kaiser Ryoko prized coolness, composure, and facing one's opponent with uncompromising power, this went beyond that. It was as though Asuka didn't want to duel, that she just wanted to finish it as quickly as possible.

"When this tournament is over," Kaiser Ryoko said to herself, "I will have to remind Asuka of the true purpose of the duel." It was then that someone came into her room, interrupting her sanctum. "I trust you have news of Fubuki's whereabouts?"

"Actually, I believe I do." Kaiser Ryoko turned around; it would not do to speak with the Principal without facing her. "I've been going over certain documents that have been kept sealed, and I have reason to believe that Fubuki's disappearance is the first move of a Shadow Game."

"A Shadow Game? You mean those things that Professor Daitokuji claimed occurred during the Duelist Kingdom and Battle City tournaments? They're real then?"

"Well, they were. But in all the cases documented, a Millennium Item was always necessary to initiate a Shadow Game, and now they've been...removed from play, as it were. So either this means that they've been recovered, or some other power is being used."

"...I will need time to contemplate on this. Please leave me be, Principal Samejima." Principal Samejimma nodded to her prized pupil and departed. Kaiser Ryoko then turned off the screen showing the tournament, assumed the lotus position, and tried to bring order to her thoughts.

It wasn't as easy as it sounded.

* * *

"Asuka!" Judai followed after Asuka as she went into the hallway and put his hand on her shoulder, and was immediately shrugged off. "Asuka, how could you treat Momoe like that? She's one of your best friends, and you didn't acknowledge her at all. You...You weren't enjoying that duel at all; you just wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. I'm really sorry about this, and I wish that it weren't like this, but there's no reason for you to be here if you're not going to have fun." Asuka smacked him across the face, and it was so unexpected to Judai that he was knocked off his feet. As he looked up at her, he saw her face was overflowing with barely restrained, highly conflicted emotion.

"Judai...don't...don't you ever question my resolve, ever again. My place, is on the dueling field. Just because I'm not being carefree right now...it doesn't mean that I don't deserve to win! Just because you don't understand, doesn't give you the right to say things like that!" She stood there, her fists shaking at her side.

"Asuka...I didn't mean to say that you didn't belong here. You're one of the best duelists here, and you do belong here, but seeing you like this...it makes me think of when you were dealing with all those guys who wanted to defeat you and win Fubuki's challenge..." Judai could feel the air cool several degrees, but Asuka didn't say anything; she just glared at him, waiting. He stood up to face her. "You couldn't enjoy yourself, and someone as talented as you, well, you should always be able to have fun at what you do best! And...I promised the others that I wouldn't bring it up but..." Asuka then raised her hand again, not to strike, merely to silence.

"You've said enough Judai. I'll let Momoe know that she did well. That's all." She spoke quietly but clearly, saying nothing but the words themselves. As she returned to the main hall, Judai tenderly felt at where he was slapped, and noted that the skin was still a little sore. He decided to get a drink of water before returning, hoping that maybe this time he said the right thing; he hated the idea of dueling Asuka when she wasn't enjoying herself.

* * *

"Humbling, isn't it Misawa?" Misawa looked over at Manjoume, who'd walked up to him, a small smile on his face. "You had so much difficulty with Junko, yet Asuka overcame Momoe effortlessly." Manjoume and Misawa then looked over to the two Ra Yellow duelists, finding that Momoe was at present being consoled by Junko and Hayako. "I doubt that Momoe will be seeking a rivalry with Asuka any time soon." Misawa turned to Manjoume, and narrowed his eyes.

"Glass houses, Manjoume. After all, on turn six of your duel, if Hayako had drawn a monster that she could have summoned, then you would have lost. Are you sure that you're not slipping?"

"Heh...a fair point, I'll concede. But don't think that it'll happen again, especially if you face me. That is, assuming you even get to me." Before Misawa could respond with his own counter, Asuka returned and headed straight for Momoe.

"Momoe, I would like to apologize for my conduct earlier. You played skillfully, and you were a duelist worthy of the name." Momoe, Junko, and Hayako looked at Asuka blankly, and then Momoe emerged from her friends and drew herself up against Asuka.

"It would help, if you put some feeling into it; an apology doesn't count unless you mean it, and I don't need you to patronize me either. I lost, and that's that. Just..." Momoe turned away, still speaking to Asuka, "Don't you dare lose, at least not to anything less then the best." Asuka nodded, her face still expressing no emotion.

"I won't."

It was at that point that Judai returned, promptly receiving a stern glare from Shou.

"Bro, I just want to know one thing; did you break your promise with us? Did you say anything about Fubuki's disappearance, at all?" Judai smiled, and while it was a little weary, it was warm.

"Nah, Asuka made me keep my promise. She...she really can deal with Fubuki's dissapearence on her own, but...you know, she shouldn't have to. She just..." Shou then eased off of his glare; it wasn't often that Judai so hesitent and uncertain, and he didn't feel like pushing him then.


	23. Chapter 23

The Lord of the Dead Rises, Judai vs. Misawa Rematch!

"Judai Yuki, Daichi Misawa, please come up to the stands for the first duel of the second tier of the Whim of Fate finals!" Just before Judai and Misawa left for the stage, they both looked at Asuka, trying to communicate through their eyes their mutual concern; this was, after all, a matter that transcended rivalry, though Judai was unaware of that detail. Asuka responded by directing her eyes to the stage, and nothing else. Then, just before they entered the solid vision chambers, Misawa grabbed Judai's shoulder.

"Before we begin, I want you to understand one thing; I've been preparing for this since our last duel, and no matter how I look at it, I couldn't stop you from fusing your monsters; but, I am still prepared, and your fusion technique won't work against me." Judai then turned to face Misawa, an eager look in his eye.

"That's just what I would have expected from you Misawa. This is going to be a really fun duel!" They nodded to one another, and then turned away, preparing for their immanent battle.

Misawa, of course, did not need this time to alter his deck; he'd already formed the ideal deck to face Judai, one that would defy his skill with Fusion. This was, Misawa determined, the ideal circumstance for this duel to take place; it was not only taking place where all the eyes of the Academia would be on them, it was also ideal for it would show Asuka that she could count on him to overcome adversity of even the highest caliber. He understood her pride, and knew that she would never accept support in this time of crisis, except from the very best. After a short time, Misawa emerged, only to find that Judai hadn't come out yet.

"I think...I think the best way would be for me to just show her...yeah! I'll show her that having fun, even at a time like this, is the way to go!" Judai said this in a whisper to himself. He then himself emerged, a fire burning in his eyes.

"Let's duel, Misawa! I'll go first, and I play Fusion, sending Ocean and Woodsman to the grave to fusion summon Elemental Hero Earth!" There was a resounding crash following the arrival of Elemental Hero Earth, and more then a few people were impressed by the speedy arrival of the mighty hero. "Next I summon Elemental Hero Voltic, set two cards, and end my turn."

Misawa smiled as he faced his opponent; as he had said, there was no stopping Judai from fusing his most powerful monsters. But that didn't mean that he couldn't overcome that skill anyway! "My turn! I summon King of the Skull Servants in attack mode." A pale fog gathered on the field, and the rattling of bones echoed strangely in the stands, as a tall skeleton robed in royal blue faded into being. Once solid, the king seemed to be weighed down, matching its own attack power of zero. "Next I equip the King of Skull Servant's with Grave Power; by sending all monsters with the same name from my deck to the grave, the king gains one thousand attack points. Furthermore, for every Skull Servant or King of Skull Servants in my grave, King of Skull Servants gains another thousand attack points." The rattling of bones became louder, and the King of Skull Servants drew himself up, and even began to float above the ground a little, as the unerathly un-vitality filled its being, raising his attack power to 3000. Misawa clenched his fist, a sign of confidence. "Now, attack Elemental Hero Earth, King of the Skull Servants!"

The King of Skull Servant's floated to just in front of Elemental Hero Earth, grabbed his head in his hand, and began to crush it, but before the final moment came, Elemental Hero Earth vanished, and Ocean and Woodsman were back on the field.

"I activated the quick spell, De-Fusion, sending Earth back to the fusion deck and bringing back Woodsman and Ocean in defense mode."

"While that might save your life points, I'll keep my attack going and destroy your Elemental Hero Woodsman." Misawa knew that he wouldn't succeed; after all, with Voltic in attack mode and only 1000 attack points, Judai had to have been prepared for the inevitable attack; it was also clear that Judai hadn't expected Misawa to force him into using De-Fusion when he did. Now to find out...

"I activate my trap card, Hero's Sacrifice of Brotherhood! I pay five hundred life points and send one Elemental Hero, Elemental Hero Knopse, from my deck to the grave, preventing my Elemental Heroes from being destroyed this turn." Misawa smiled, seeing Judai's strategy unfold before him, and during the time it took the King of Skull Servants to give up its efforts to destroy Elemental Hero Woodsman, he knew exactly how to turn that strategy against him.

"I set two cards, and end my turn." Misawa then grinned at Judai, unconcerned as to whether this might spoil his strategy; after all, Judai would always take the bet, no matter what.

"My turn! I activate Ocean's effect, and add Elemental Hero Knopse from my grave to my hand, then I use Woodsman's effect to do the same with the Fusion in my grave, and use it to fuse Knopse and Woodsman into Elemental Hero Gaia!" Knopse and Woodsman seeped into the ground, and moments later a huge fist punched up through it, as Elemental Hero Gaia emerged from its domain. It then smashed the ground, the resulting shock waves reaching even into the air and knocking over the King of Skull Servants. This also drained half of the undead's attack and gave it to Elemental Hero Gaia. "And now I play H-Heated Heart, giving Gaia another five hundred attack. Elemental Hero Gaia, attack with Continental Hammer!" Elemental Hero Gaia performed a double hammer fist on the King of the Skull Servants, dealing 2700 points of damage to Misawa.

"Exactly as planned Judai! When King of the Skull Servants is destroyed in battle, I can remove a King of Skull Servants or Skull Servant in my grave from play to special summon him back to the field." The moment that Elemental Hero Gaia stepped back from its assault, the King of Skull Servants arose again, although considerably diminished from its previous state, now only possessing 1000 attack points.

"If I didn't know better Misawa, I'd think that you'd forgotten about Ocean and Voltic. Elemental Hero Ocean, attack King of Skull Servants!" Misawa grinned, conveying a sense of how pleased he was that his strategy was flowing so well.

"I activate my trap card, Return to Death, which sends all zombie type monsters that were removed from play back to the grave." Just as Ocean was about to strike, the King of Skull Servant's backhanded it across the field, destroying it for 500 points of damage.

"Man, that was a great move, really caught me off guard! I'll put Elemental Hero Voltic in defense mode, and end my turn." There were now mixed murmurings among the crowd, with many wondering how Misawa could press the advantage he'd gained; after all, even without its earlier boost, Gaia was still stronger then Misawa's undead. As the two duelists waited for the silence to return, Judai took a quick look at his friends; Shou was silently cheering him on, Junko did the same for Misawa, and the others were more neutral, and Asuka...her face was as cold as it had been for a while now. But Judai knew that this duel was still young, and there was still time bring her smile back to her face.

"Here I go Judai; I now play the spell card Foolish Burial, sending one Skull Servant from my deck to the grave, and when that happens I activate my trap card, Join in Death! With it, I send the Skull Servant in my hand, and the other Skull Servant in my deck to the grave as well, raising my King of Skull Servant's attack power to five thousand!" The rattling of bones reached a crescendo as King of Skull Servants surged with unearthly power, power that seemed to seep out its bones and into the ground that it floated above. "And now I summon in defense mode, The Lady in Wight." The skeleton of an old woman, seated back in a stone throne, a harsh look permanently embedded on her face, glaring directly at Judai. "So long as The Lady in Wight is on the field, King of Skull Servants can't be destroyed, nor is it affected by spells or traps, and with twenty-two hundred defense points, you won't be rid of her so easily. King of Skull Servants, attack Elemental Hero Gaia! Royal Death Crush!" The King of Skull Servants raised Elemental Hero Gaia off the ground, and crushed it into dust, leaving Judai with only 200 life points left. "End turn."

"Misawa...you're incredible! To summon such a powerful monster in such a short time, that's just amazing. Well, I end my turn" Judai said, with an eager grin on his face.

"Heh, you sound confident, and as it so happens, you have the right to be. King of Skull Servants, attack Elemental Hero Voltic!" It only took a moment for King of Skull Servants to destroy Voltic, and the chill glare that it gave Judai was utterly unlike the eager joy in Misawa's face. "Come on Judai, I know you can do better then this. End turn." Judai nodded to Misawa, his grin still eager.

"All right, here I go! First I play Fifth Hope, returning the five Elemental Hero's in my grave back to my deck and drawing two cards. Next I play A Hero Arrives, paying half my life points to special summon a level four or lower Elemental Hero from my deck, and I summon Elemental Hero Stratos in defense mode. Then I use his effect to add Elemental Hero Woodsman to my hand, and summon him in defense mode too. Then I set one card, and end my turn."

"Heh, trying to go for another fusion? Well I won't let that happen! King of Skull Servants, destroy Elemental Hero Woodsman!"

"Trap card activate, Hero Barrier!" King of Skull Servant hammered away at the invisible barrier before it, but the latter would not budge for the former.

"Well played Judai. End turn." As Judai then drew his next card, Misawa reflected not for the first time that even though Judai's deck was impeccably constructed, there was a luck, a god-draw that he drew upon, that allowed Judai to bring out his decks potential beyond what should have been possible, and it was that potential that he faced.

"All right, I use Woodman's effect to add Fusion back to my hand from the grave, and then I set one card to end my turn." Misawa smiled inwardly; he had no doubt of what Judai's face down card would be, and that once it was activated the Elemental Hero Earth would soon be back on the field. But, Misawa had faith in his deck, in his skill, in his dedication to goals and dreams!"

"My turn!" Misawa drew his card, and saw his faith rewarded. "I attack Elemental Hero Woodsman once more!" This time the attack did connect, and Woodsman rotted away before being utterly destroyed.

"Now I activate my trap card, Hero Signal, special summoning Elemental Hero Ocean in defense mode!" Yes, this was it! With this, Misawa's strategy would be complete, and Judai would be hoist on his own petard.

"I set two cards, and end my turn." Judai could see it in Misawa's eyes; he was eager to face Elemental Hero Earth once more. Well, he wouldn't be dissapointed!"

"My turn! I use Elemental Hero Ocean's effect to return Woodsman back to my hand, then I summon Elemental Hero Heat, and follow up by fusing Ocean and Woodsman into Elemental Hero Earth!" Elemental Hero Earth leapt into being, landing between Stratos and Heat. "Now I sacrifice Heat and Stratos, raising the Earth's attack to sixty-five hundred, which gives me enough to defeat your King of Skull Servants. Attack, with Magma Swords!" The fire of each sword burned with the spirit of the hero sacrificed to it, and such were those burning spirits, that even the King of Skull Servants would have crumbled to ash before them.

"I now activate my trap card, Trap Speed!" Judai recognized that card, as the key card that saved him and Shou in their duel with Junko and Momoe. "I now activate one spell card on the field as though it were a trap, Double Spell! I now discard one spell card from my hand to activate a spell card in your grave." There was of course, only one card that Misawa would use in this way, and Judai knew it. "I now use De-Fusion, sending the Earth back to the deck and special summoning Ocean and Woodsman to your side of the field in attack mode." Elemental Hero Earth faded out, just at the moment that he would slain King of Skull Servants, and while Ocean and Woodsman were battle ready, they paled before the enemy they faced. The crowd was silent, as were Judai and Misawa's friends; he'd done it, Misawa had bested Judai's fusion technique.

"Wow...wow! Misawa, that was just too incredible!" Judai then looked over at his friends, and remembered the one that he was still fighting for, and even though he wasn't going to before, he wouldn't give up now! "I set one card, and end my turn."

"My turn!" Misawa knew now that it would only be a matter of time, especially since he just drew his own De-Fusion! "I attack Elemental Hero Ocean with King of the Skull Servants!" Elemental Hero Ocean attempted to defend himself, and for his trouble, his weapon was broken only moments before he was. Yet Judai's life points were unaffected.

"With the trap card Hero Spirit, when an Elemental Hero is destroyed in battle, I can reduce my battle damage to zero one time."

"That may be Judai, but you've still lost Ocean, and without him you can't recover your Heroes. I set one card, and end my turn."

Judai was a little hesitant to draw his next card; he had the strong impression that if he tried for another Fusion, that it would end the same way as before, and he wouldn't be able protect himself if that happened again. No, he had to go for another track, one that could break through Misawa's strategic defenses.

"My turn, draw!" This was it, this would decide whether he would win or lose. "First I add Fusion back to my hand, and next I play the spell card Legacy of a Hero; when there are at least two Elemental Heroes in my grave, I can remove one card in my hand from play and draw Three cards. Now I play O-Overcall, and special summon Elemental Hero Stratos from the grave and use his effect to add Elemental Hero Lady Heat to my hand. Then I sacrifice Woodsman and Stratos to summon Elemental Hero Sunlight!" There was a flare, and everyone covered their eyes as Elemental Hero Sunlight appeared. "Now I send Lady Heat from my hand to the grave to let his attack penetrate defense, and then I remove Lady Heat, Heat, and Stratos from play, giving Sunlight a total attack power of 3800. Sunlight, attack Lady in Wight!"

Misawa couldn't believe it; Judai had foregone Fusion, and bested his strategy, exploiting the hole that he hadn't realized existed until it was too late; he'd been so focused on protecting King of Skull Servants...well, it didn't matter at this point; Elemental Hero Sunlight had dissolved away Lady in Wight, and with her, the rest of his life points. Still...even with the regrets he did have, there was one thing that Misawa didn't regret about the duel.

"Well played Judai. You've truly bested me." Then Misawa walked up to Judai, close enough that no one would hear what was said. "Just remember that you have my burden to carry now. It'll be up to you...to support Asuka." Judai then left the stage and for a moment his eyes met Asuka's; they seemed much warmer now, but there was a core of cold that wouldn't give up. Still, Judai was glad to know that he was on the right track after all.


	24. Chapter 24

Single Stroke Battle of the Obelisk Elites, Manjoume vs. Asuka!

"We will now, without delay, begin the second and final match of of the Whim of Fate semi-finals! Jun Manjoume, Asuka Tenjouin, please come up now!" The cheering in the stands was deafening, with half cheering "Asuqueen! Asuqueen!", and the other half cheering "Manjoume! Manjoume!" As both Duelists readied themselves for battle, Professor Hibiki's phone began to ring. It was Professor Chronos.

"Professor Hibiki, I need to speak to you immediately. I think...no, I'm certain that I have evidence that Professor Daitokuji is not, that is, that he does know more about what's going on then he's letting on." Professor Hibiki sighed.

"Professor Chronos, I share your concern over Fubuki, but you can't accuse a fellow member of the faculty like that. Now then, I have a duel to oversee, but when its over, I will call you again, and then we'll sort through what you've found." Professor Hibiki turned off her phone, then chastised herself for being short with Professor Chronos; after all, even if it were so unlikely for Professor Daitokuji to be involved, she still should have listened. Kouyou would have...Professor Hibiki shook her head, and remembered her responsibilities.

The Obelisk Blue duelists then emerged, ready for their upcoming battle. As they moved into position, Manjoume suddenly shot his hand in the air, pointing straight up. Once he had everyone's attention, he then pointed straight at Asuka.

"Asuka Tenjouin...I could ask for no better opponent before my duel with Judai. But! Do not think that you will be able to defeat me the same way that you defeated your friend Momoe. For I shall strike as a bolt of lightning, and the resounding thunderous crash of my power will destroy you in an instant! Asuka Tenjouin, Let's duel!" Manjoume then drew his hand, seizing the first turn.

"First I summon Dragonic Warrior, and then I play Dragonic Contract, allowing me to special summon Armored Dragon from my deck!" A dragon in a suit of armor joined the humanoid warrior that wore a dragon's armor. "And next I play Dragon Unit Ritual, sending Dragonic Warrior and Armored Dragon to special summon Dragonic Knight!" The Armored Dragon opened up its chest, revealing a cavity that the Dragonic Warrior fit into perfectly. Once closed, the two monsters transformed, united into the towering Dragonic Knight with 2800 attack points. "And now for the thunder; I play the permanent spell card, Dragon Force!" Dragonic Knight let out a thunderous roar, releasing a spiritual image of itself that struck Asuka for 1400 points of damage. "Once per turn, I can have one Dragon forgo its attack, and deal half its attack power in direct damage to you. Now I set one card, and end my turn."

There was a moment of silence, and then two members of the crowd started chanting "Manjoume Thunder! Manjoume Thunder!". One was Hidekazu Takuma, and the other was Eva Nomura. It took less then ten seconds for their chanting to catch with everyone, and before long all were chanting Manjoume's new nick-name, and from the look on his face, he couldn't be any more pleased. This chanting and adulation went on for some time, and then Asuka spoke.

"...Are you done, Manjoume? Are you done preening, playing to the crowd?" The chill in her voice was matched by the cold glare in her eyes, and it was enough to silence the crowd, and to force Manjoume's head back into the game.

"Preening? I would have thought that of everyone here, that you'd appreciate what I'm trying to do here."

"...If that's what you think, then let me show you...let me show you how wrong you are. First I summon Cyber Petit Angel, adding a Machine Angel Ritual card to my hand. Then I play Cyber Angel Calling; when I have Cyber Petit Angel on my field, I can add one Cyber Angel from my deck to my hand. Now I play Machine Angel Ritual, sending Cyber Petit Angel and Cyber Angel Benten to the grave, in order to Ritual Summon Cyber Angel Dakini!" A four armed, blue skinned woman armed with an impressive array of weaponry appeared, and threw a spear straight through Dragonic Knight's head, slaying it instantly. "Since there was only one monster on your side of the field, you didn't get to choose which monster Cyber Angel Dakini destroyed with her effect."

"Heh, that's just fine Asuka, I'll be more then happy to take your attack head on!" Manjoume smiled inwardly, for this was going better then he could have hoped for; his face-down card, Reverse-Time, would activate in the end phase and remove her Cyber Angel Dakini from play, and then special summon his Dragonic Knight back to the field, since it was what he had on the field at the end of his last turn. Sure, he'd take a heavy hit, but this duel was his! But, she wasn't attacking...why?

"I now play the spell card Demotion, reducing Cyber Angel Dakini's level from eight to six."

"Reduce her level? What would the point of that....!" It was at that point that Asuka turned over the Ritual Weapon card in her hand, which could only be equipped to a level six or lower Ritual Monster.

"With Ritual Weapon, Cyber Angel Dakini's attack rises by fifteen-hundred points, for a total of forty-two hundred." As the armband-bows formed on Dakini's arms, Jun Manjoume began to falter. Then Cyber Angel Dakini fired, striking Manjoume in the heart and knocking on his back, his life points instantly reduced to zero.

There was a long, unbelieving silence, and then, more silence. Professor Hibiki then broke the silence.

"First Year Obelisk Blue, Asuka Tenjouin, is the winner! She will proceed to the finals to duel First Year Osiris Red Judai Yuki, after a thirty minute rest period." Asuka then left the stage, and then the room, exiting once more out of the main hall. Shortly thereafter Manjoume arose back to his feet, and was immediately greeted by far more skeptical eyes then he was receiving only moments ago.

"Like a lightning bolt? More like a lighting bug!"

"Yeah, and a thunderous crash? More like a...clap!"

Laughter was now ringing in the stands, and Manjoume turned away from the crowd and descended from the stage, stopping at Judai.

"Just so you know, what they say doesn't matter at all; they can say whatever they want about me, but _that_ won't affect my pride. But if you lose in such a disgraceful manner to Asuka...I won't forgive you."

* * *

"All right Professor Chronos, the tournament's final is on hold and I'm all ears. What have you found that makes you suspect that Professor Daitokuji is involved in."

"Well, Professor Hibiki, I'm sorry to say, but...well I was wrong."

"Excuse me?" Professor Chronos, admitting he was wrong? As though things couldn't get stranger, this happens.

"Yes, I happened upon Professor Daitokuji, and I confronted him with everything that I'd gathered and, well, he pointed out all the flaws in my reasoning and evidence! It was really quite embarrassing, but there you go. By the way, who's dueling in the final? I trust its Manjoume verses Judai, yes?"

"...Actually, its Judai verses Asuka." Then there was the sound of someone slamming their fist into their palm, and then remembering they needed one hand holding the phone at all times.

"Judai verses Asuqueen? That's even better! I'm going over there right away, I can't possibly afford to miss this!"

"Wait, Professor Chronos...damn." He'd already hung up. Could what he really said, have really happened? He wasn't speaking under duress, and he would never admit fault or error unless such was undeniably the case, but...he was so urgent when he called before. What would he have said if she hadn't cut him off? "Hopefully, everything will become clear once Fubuki is found."

Then her phone started ringing again, and she wondered if Professor Chronos was going to change his story once more.

"Professor Hibiki," It was Principal Samejima; her voice sounded rather weary. "As soon as the tournament is over, come to my office. Professor Daitokuji and I have made an important discovery regarding Fubuki's disappearance. I'll be contacting Professor Chronos myself, so he'll be joining us as well."

"Thank you, Principal Samejima, I'll be there as soon as possible. Until then."

* * *

"Just one more, just one more duel and then this tournament will be over." Asuka was standing just outside the entrance, off to the side, thinking to herself. "Judai, you defeated me before, and while I did try my best to win, I was...glad that you did win. But this time, I need to win, for myself...and for my brother."

She stood there for a while, just looking at the trees.

"Miss Asuka Tenjouin, I'm surprised to see you out here. Shouldn't you be inside with the others, getting ready for your duel with Judai?" Asuka turned, to find that Professor Daitokuji had sneaked up on her.

"Professor Daitokuji, what are you doing here? I thought that you were coordinating the search effort." Professor Daitokuji smiled benignly at Asuka.

"I was, but Principal Samejima contacted me and the other professors; she's been going over some documents I brought to her, and she believes that she's found something of significance that may help to locate your brother." Asuka didn't think that she'd shown any response, but Daitokuji managed to pick it up anyway. "I want you to know Asuka, that I, and all the other faculty members here, we all hold ourselves responsible for you all. I don't have any brothers or sisters myself, but the disappearance weighs heavily on our hearts, as it does yours. So, try to cheer up; I'm certain that you'd much rather face Judai with a warm smile then a cold glare."

Under other circumstances, Asuka might have gaped at Professor Daitokuji, but she maintained decorum. "Professor Daitokuji, whatever emotion I choose to display is my concern and none of yours. I appreciate that you're trying to be supportive, but I don't need any support. Like the Egyptian God Card that my dorm is named for, I am a pillar of strength. Now then, if you'll excuse me." Asuka then entered back into the hallway, making her way back into the main dueling hall. Professor Daitokuji then looked down at his cat, the same benign smile on his face.

"Pharaoh, do you think I said anything wrong?" Pharaoh meowed, indistinguishable from any other such utterance that the tabby cat made, except to Daitokuji. "Of course I didn't. It might take a little bit, but my words will sink in soon enough, and then Asuka will be able to...Oh right, we have to go to Principal Samejima's office! Pharaoh, it was very naughty of you to try to distract me from work like that." And so Professor Daitokuji ran off to Principal Samejima's office.

* * *

"Who is this? I'm very busy and I don't have time for idle chatter!" Manjoume was, to put it bluntly, not in a good mood. However, the moment he heard the voice on the other end of the cell phone, he sincerely wished that he'd kept his mouth shut. He was however glad that he'd gone off alone when he'd received the call.

"Why dear brother, I'd no idea you could be so kind. And you certainly must have a creative interpretation of your schedule, if you don't think that you have time to talk to us." Chosaku's voice was cultured, sardonic, and most of all, quite effective at getting Jun to listen.

"Chosaku! I, I didn't realize that it was you! I was only-"

"Save it!" Now it was Shoji Manjoume's voice, full of harsh, dominant tones that shook Manjoume to the bone. "Would you mind explaining to us how you could have lost, or is this something that only a _duelist_ could understand." The word 'duelist' had a sneer to it, as though it were a nasty bit of something caught in his teeth that he had to spit out.

"How, how did you find out about that so quickly? Did you pay off one of the students to act as your spy on me?" He heard both his brothers laugh at the same time, and it was Chosaku who spoke.

"As though we would have to do anything like that. No, what it is, is that your duel disk has a little bug built in to it, allowing us to monitor every duel you've been in since you arrived at Duel Academia. Now, while the first loss, against that first year Osiris Red, was a bit of an annoyance, the school year hadn't actually started, so we decided that we could let that pass." Then Shoji spoke up, practically barking out the words.

"But now you've lost, in front of a huge crowd, to a woman! So much for becoming the next _Duel King_, eh Jun?" Normally Manjoume would have taken it, but Shoji took it too far.

"Listen up, I lost, I lost bad, I admit it! I made a fool of myself in front of everyone, I admit it! But if you dare imply that Asuka Tenjouin is someone shameful to lose to, then I'll have to show you both how strong I really am!" Now Chosaku was laughing, a hearty laughter.

"Woah, touchy. It sounds like our litte brother is a little tender when it comes to...Asuka Tenjouin, yes Shoji?"

"That's certainly how it comes across, Chosaku. All right Jun, listen carefully; we were going to have you pulled from Duel Academia and start doing something productive for the Manjoume Group for a change, but since you were willing to stand up to us, we'll let you stay a little longer. But! If you lose again, consider your time as a duelist dead." Jun Manjoume was about to yell back into the phone, but realized that the connection was already cut off. He stared at it for a time, going over the cracks that Shoji and Chosaku had made about Asuka; if they thought that Asuka's being a woman had anything to do with anything, they couldn't possibly be more...wrong?

Manjoume found that his thoughts were becoming hesitant; it wasn't that he was mortified or insulted at losing to a female duelist; after all, one of the legendary duelists was a woman, and skill was skill. But...there was some niggling little detail about losing to Asuka, something that he couldn't identify.

Well, whatever it was, it would have to wait; Manjoume left his solitude, to observe the upcoming duel between Asuka and Judai!

* * *

"Bro, be honest with me; do you really think that you'll be able to win against Asuka? I mean, she beat both Momoe and Manjoume in one turn each! I mean, I'm not saying that you're not a great duelist, but , well, you've never pulled off a One-Turn-Kill before." Judai looked at Shou, then down at his deck.

"I've mentioned that this deck was given to me by Kouyou Hibiki, right Shou?" Shou frantically shook his head, his eyes wide with shock. "Well, I thought I did. Maybe it was just Asuka that I told...well, Kouyou always believed in having fun over all else, and a one-turn-kill, it isn't any fun. I'd rather have a good long duel where we both did our best and lose, then win in one turn before anything could happen." It was right about then that Asuka returned, as cold a look on her face as ever. She was quickly followed up by Professor Chronos, who looked like he could have collapsed at any moment.

"Good," Professor Chronos said between gasps for air, "I haven't missed anything yet." He then walked over to Professor Hibiki, still breathing heavily. "It'll be so good to see that lazy drop-out boy lose to the queen of Obelisk Blue, right at the very end of the tournament." Professor Hibiki blanched. "Listen, I said I wouldn't go out of my way to target the boy, but that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy it when fate works out in my favor!"

"Fine, just don't cause a scene; we still have to go see Principal Samejima after the duel is over." Professor Chronos nodded, and devoted himself more fully to recovering his breath. Manjoume then returned from wherever it was that he'd gone off to.

"Now then, Judai Yuki, Asuka Tenjouin, please come onto the stage for the final duel of the Whim of Fate Tournament!"


	25. Chapter 25

Heroes vs. Goddessess, The Final Match! Judai vs. Asuka!

Judai was now on the stage, facing Asuka; looking at her in the eyes, he saw himself, reflected not as a friend, but merely an opponent to be defeated, like any other. He then looked around, looking at the audience, his friends, the faculty, everyone. This duel, it was going to be the most important that he'd ever been in, so had to make it count.

"So Asuka, before we begin, can I say something?" Asuka narrowed her eyes, very slightly.

"Whatever you have to say, Judai, you can say it with your cards. Let's duel!" Judai wasn't deterred; they were duelists, and for them, maybe this would be the best way to communicate.

"All right Asuka, I'll go first! First I summon Elemental Hero Knopse, and then I play Rose Bud, sacrificing Knopse to special summon Elemental Hero Poison Rose. Then I set one card, and end my turn." As Elemental Hero Poison Rose bloomed from Elemental Hero Knopse, she briefly turned to face Judai and gave him a supportive smile before turning to face Asuka. For a moment, it seemed to Judai more then just a quirk of the Solid Vision system, but he shook those thoughts from his head, and Poison Rose looked as she always did when he summoned her. Which, mind you, was enough to receive a few appreciative cheers. Cheers that were silenced the moment Asuka began her turn.

"I now play the field spell card, the Sacred Shinto Shrines of Ise." A great rumbling filled the stage, as numerous shrines to the Gods arose from the ground, blocking the audience and the others from view, and even the ceiling gave way to a clear blue sky. Cherry blossoms drifted across the heavens, and the wind spoke of divine will, drowning out the sounds of the crowd. "With this field spell card, once per turn I can discard two cards from my hand to add a Ritual spell card and a Ritual Monster Card from my deck to my hand. I now discard Kuriboh and Flute of Summoning Kuriboh to add Machine Angel Ritual and Cyber Angel Dakini to my hand." Kuriboh and its flute appeared before the hall of offerings in the shrine just behind Asuka. Judai noticed Kuriboh looking plaintively at Asuka before entering.

"Now I activate Machine Angel Ritual, sending Cold Enchanter and Aqua Spirit to the grave to Ritual Summon Cyber Angel Dakini!" The doors to the Sanctuary of the Gods flew open as Cyber Angel Dakini emerged, not hesitating to strike down Elemental Hero Poison Rose with her effect. "Next I play Divine Guidance; on the turn that I perform a Ritual Summon, I can send another Ritual Monster from my deck to the grave and raise Cyber Angel Dakini's attack by the sent monster's attack for this turn. I send Cyber Angel Idaten to the grave." Another sanctuary opened up, and the wind of the gods blew forth, infusing Cyber Angel Dakini with new power, raising her attack to 4300. There was now an aura of divine wind, clinging to Cyber Angel Dakini. "Furthermore, on this turn, when Cyber Angel Dakini attacks, you can't activate any spells or traps in response." Judai could hardly believe it; she was going to perform another first-turn-kill! But...he couldn't let it end like this.

"Before you attack Asuka, I activate my spell card, Flute of Kuriboh Summoning to special summon Winged Kuriboh in defense mode." Winged Kuriboh appeared, and there was a distinct 'kuri, kuri' that rang out from it.

"Cyber Angel Dakini's attack still penetrates defense. You won't prolong this duel, Judai." At the last word, a small emotion leaked through. Cyber Angel Dakini rushed forward, as fast as the wind, and tore through Winged Kuriboh effortlessly. However, Judai's life points were unaffected. Asuka's eyes widened then, as she remembered.

"Asuka, you said to speak with my cards; well, what they're saying is that I don't want this duel to end so quickly. I'm going to do my best to win but I want us to both be able to have fun. That's why I duel in the first place. I know that doesn't sound very impressive, but, well, that's what I was taught about dueling; that's what Kouyou taught me, anyway." Judai usually kept himself happy whenever he talked about Kouyou, but somehow, a little sadness made it into his voice. Asuka looked Judai in the eyes; hers began to soften.

"Judai, there's something that I've been meaning to ask you, but it always seemed rude to me, so I didn't. But now, I'm going to ask; what happened to Kouyou? I heard that he retired two years ago, but you've always talked about him in the past tense, so that doesn't sound right anymore. I know that you said that your past was an open book, but if this is too personal, you can choose not to answer."

Judai smiled, eagerly. His friend was acting like herself again; not all the way, but getting there again. "I've got no problem answering that question Asuka, but I think we should get back to the duel, so here's what we'll do; if you win, I'll tell you. That sound good?"

"It does. All right Judai, my turn's over now. Let's see you overcome Cyber Angel Dakini." Dakini crossed her swords, as though in response to Asuka's confidence, and Judai knew that even without Divine Guidance's effect, it would still be difficult to overcome Dakini. But he had to try!

"Here I go Asuka! First I play the spell card Spellbook Inside the Pot, which allows each of us to draw three cards." A pot of greed appeared in the air, and it tipped over, dropping a pile of books between the two duelists before vanishing all together. "Now I play Miracle Fusion, removing Knopse and Poison Rose in my grave to fusion summon Elemental Hero Orchid!" The ground split apart as Elemental Hero Orchid grew forth, resting back in the blossom of her home. "Next I summon Elemental Hero Heat, and then I play Hero Pressure!" Orchid and Heat focused their spirits onto Cyber Angel Dakini who began to falter. "For each Elemental Hero on my side of the field, your Cyber Angel Dakini loses three hundred attack points. Next I play H-Heated Heart, giving Orchid another five hundred attack points. Attack, Bloom of Heart!" Elemental Hero Orchid raised her arms, and vines arose from beneath Cyber Angel Dakini, wrapped around her, and crushed the air right out of her for 700 points of damage, while gaining another 300 attack points from her own effect. Then Elemental Hero Heat attacked directly for another 2000 points of damage. "That's it for my turn, Asuka." Then Asuka began to smile, a cool smile to be sure, but a smile.

"That was really good Judai. Yeah, you've definitely gotten much stronger since our last duel. But so have I! I now activate Sacred Shinto Shrines of Ise's effect, discarding Cyber Shark and Multiply to add Machine Angel Ritual and Cyber Angel Ama-no-Uzume to my hand. Now I play Machine Angel Ritual, sending Ice Master to the grave to Ritual Summon Cyber Angel Ama-no-Uzume!" The doors of another sanctuary flew open as a graceful, and scantily clad woman leaped out, spinning through the air before landing on her hands and flipping onto her feet. She then produced a pair of glowing daggers, for an attack power of 2500. "Next I summon Cyber Ice Valkyrie." A crystal of ice flashed into being, and then a woman broke out of it, armed with nothing but her fists, and the spirits of her fallen companions. "Cyber Ice Valkyrie gains two hundred attack points for every water monster in my grave; there are four, so Cyber Ice Valkyrie's attack rises from thirteen hundred to twenty-one hundred. Cyber Angel Ama-no-Uzume, attack Elemental Hero Orchid. Revelry Knifes!"

Judai was confused as he watched Cyber Angel Ama-no-Uzume bound around the stage, slashing through Elemental Hero Orchid's vines when they tried to grab her, and that confusion only grew when Ama-no-Uzume stabbed Orchid in the chest, destroying it for 200 points of damage. "How did...!" Looking down at his duel disk, he saw that Orchid's effect had been negated, returning her attack back to its original value.

"Cyber Angel Ama-no-Uzume negates the effect of any monster that she battles with, and since Orchid is gone now, I'm free to attack your Elemental Hero Heat. Cyber Ice Valkyrie, Wrath of Nifleheim!" Cyber Ice Valkyrie raised her arms, summoning a pillar of ice that then bored right through Elemental Hero Heat for 300 points of damage. "Well Judai, do you think you'll be able to recover from this one? End turn." Judai was grinning, smiling back at Asuka, who was herself on the verge of glowing.

"It'll be tricky, but I'll think of something! I now play Gift of the Weak, removing Elemental Hero Knopse in my hand from play to draw two cards. Then I play Fusion Pass, sending the top five cards of my deck to the grave, and if there are fusion material monsters among them, I can summon a fusion monster." The first card sent was Elemental Hero Ice Edge, and then the next three were O-Overcall, E-Emergency Call, and R-Righteous Justice. For Judai, the next few seconds seemed to stretch out as his fifth card was sent to the grave, but he was rewarded for his gamble. "All right! I fuse Elemental Hero Ice Edge and King of the Swamp, acting as Elemental Hero Ocean, to fusion summon Elemental Hero Absolute Zero." Elemental Hero Absolute Zero warped onto the field, then turned to face Cyber Ice Valkyrie, and drew 500 attack points from her. "You know...this would be the second time that that card saved me. It makes me really glad that you put it in my deck. Thanks Asuka!"

Asuka did not blush; it wasn't in her to do something like that. She smiled, and nodded.

"Heh, don't speak too soon Judai. You still haven't won yet, and between you and me, Absolute Zero isn't going to do the trick. With Cyber Angel Ama-no-Uzume's effect, you can't attack her without clearing the field for me next turn."

"That's okay, I'm not going to attack the Cyber Angel. Elemental Hero Absolute Zero, attack Cyber Ice Valkyrie!" Absolute Zero elbowed Ice Valkyrie in the face, destroying her for 900 points of damage. "Next I set one card, and end my turn."

Asuka gazed at Elemental Hero Absolute Zero; she knew that Cyber Angel Ama-no-Uzume's effect wouldn't negate the effect of a monster in the grave, so attacking him would wipe out her field, and with only 400 life points left, she couldn't afford that risk, for even one turn.

"My turn, draw!" Asuka looked at the card in her hand, and smiled. "I now play Card of Sanctity, allowing each of us to draw until we have six cards in our hands. Next I discard Ice Queen and Detonating to add Machine Angel Ritual and...my most powerful monster."

"You mean, you have a monster more powerful then Ice Queen and Cyber Angel Dakini?" Judai's eyes were wide with both shock and joy.

"Yes. I've never had to summon her before, but against you, I'll need to make use of all my power. I now activate Machine Angel Ritual and send Cyber Angel Ama-no-Uzume from the field and Cyber Petit Angel in my hand to the grave to Ritual Summon Cyber Angel Amaterasu!"

The solid vision sun that shined above them flared, almost blinding Judai. He brought his arm to his eyes, and in that shadow he could see the doors of the sanctuary of the Grand Shrine open, and from it emerged a towering woman who's skin shined so brightly that it was on par with the sun itself. She then looked up to the sun, and it and she dimmed, allowing mortals to look upon them. Then Cyber Angel Amaterasu drew her bow, ready to attack with 3600 attack points.

"Now, Cyber Angel Amaterasu, attack Elemental Hero Absolute Zero!"

"Not so fast Asuka! I activate my trap card, Mirror Gate!" As soon as the card flipped up, a frigid wind struck it back down, encasing it in ice.

"Just like before Judai, I have Instant Freeze to negate your trap. But this time, the duel will finish before it wears off. Amaterasu, Solar Ray!" Cyber Angel Amaterasu then nocked her bow, drawing an arrow of the purest sunlight.

"Hold on Asuka! When you activated Instant Freeze, you started a chain, and that means that I can special summon Winged Kuriboh Level Nine from my hand!" The red-armored Winged Kuriboh flew out of Judai's hand, ready to stand at his side. "And with eight spell cards in your grave, that gives Winged Kuriboh Level Nine four thousand attack points." Asuka was positively grinning now.

"I see. I knew that Winged Kuriboh of yours would be the one to watch out for. But Cyber Angel Amaterasu will deal with him soon enough. Amaterasu, continue the attack against Absolute Zero!" Cyber Angel Amaterasu fired, piercing Elemental Hero Absolute Zero through the heart for 1100 points of damage. "When Cyber Angel Amaterasu destroys a monster by battle, I recover life points equal to its attack points." Cyber Angel Amaterasu's skin began to shine, as Asuka's life points arose to 2900.

"Man, that's a really awesome effect, but now Elemental Hero Absolute Zero gets to use his!" With his dying breath, he launched one last attack at Cyber Angel Amaterasu, but her skin began to shine even brighter, so bright and warm that it melted the attack before it could reach her.

"Cyber Angel Amaterasu's second effect; anytime that Cyber Angel Amaterasu would be removed from the field, I can remove a spell or trap card from my grave to negate that effect. I remove one of my Machine Angel Ritual's, which also reduces your Winged Kuriboh Level Nine's attack by five hundred points." As the Winged Kuriboh's attack power dropped to 3500 hundred, it turned and looked at Judai, in an apologetic manner, like it was sorry that it could no longer defeat Cyber Angel Amaterasu for him. "Now I set one card, and end my turn."

As Judai drew his card, he knew that this would be the last turn of the duel; the winner, of the duel and of the tournament, would be decided by who's blood burned hotter, who's soul shined brighter. "Here I go Asuka! You've summoned your strongest Cyber Angel, so I'm going to summon my strongest Elemental Hero! First I play Hero Mask, sending Elemental Hero Lady Heat from my deck to the grave to have Winged Kuriboh Level Nine's name become the same. Then I play Fusion, sending Elemenat Hero's Woodsman and Ocean to the grave to fusion summon Elemental Hero Earth to the field." This time, rather then crashing onto the field, Elemental Hero Earth arose from beneath the ground, as though a part of it. He looked upon Cyber Angel Ameterasu, in way that suggested that this was not their first encounter.

"And now I sacrifice Winged Kuriboh Level Nine to Elemental Hero Earth, raising his attack power to six thousand!" Winged Kuriboh Level Nine flew onto Elemental Hero Earth's head and joined with him, causing him to overflow with power, his magma swords raging for battle. "And since he's now the only monster on the field, I play Assault Armor, giving Elemental Hero Earth the ability to attack twice on this turn!" The fire of Elemental Hero Earth's blood burned even hotter, melting the very ground that it stood on. "This is it Asuka. This, is my very best." Then he pointed to Cyber Angel Amaterasu. "And that, is your very best. Which means that no matter how this battle resolves, neither of us has anything that we can regret." Asuka nodded.

"Yep. You...its funny, but facing you like this, it helps me feel stronger. Like all the challenges that I face aren't so...heavy. Thank you Judai, for trying to help me today. I appreciate it." At last, Asuka didn't hide anything; the last vestige of cold was gone from her face, and while she was happy, their was a shadow of sadness that underlied her features.

"Do you mean that Asuka? Because if you do, then I feel the same way. I'm just glad that I was able to help you out. My track record there hasn't been the greatest you know. But...now's the time. Let's finish this Asuka, for Fubuki and for Kouyou! Elemental Hero Earth, attack with Final Magma Strike!" Elemental Hero Earth bounded forth, faster then one might have expected possible for a hero his size. He spread both arms wide and brought them together, slashing Cyber Angel Amaterasu across the stomach. But rather then being cut, Amaterasu shined, diverting the attack around herself. Asuka still took the damage, dropping her life points down to 400. Then Elemental Hero Earth darted back and prepared for another charge, when Cyber Angel Amaterasu focused her gaze upon Elemental Hero Earth, draining all light and warmth from him, glowing even brighter. "Elemental Hero Earth!" Judai cried out.

"This, is Cyber Angel Amaterasu's third effect; when Cyber Angel Amaterasu is attacked, I can remove a monster from my grave from play, and reduce your monster's attack power to zero. And the monster I removed...is Kuriboh!" The phantasmal image of Kuriboh appeared on Asuka's shoulder, and Judai noticed that Winged Kuriboh was now on his shoulder. He didn't get it, but then, there were a lot of things to this duel that he didn't quite get.

"Well, it looks like your Cyber Angel Amaterasu going to beat Elemental Hero Earth..." Then Asuka gave him a quick wink.

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that Judai. I now activate my trap card, Double Passe." Elemental Hero Earth moved past each other, almost danced past each other, confronting their opponent's directly. Elemental Hero Earth got down on his knees before Asuka, creating a slight tremor with the minimal power that he still possessed. Cyber Angel Amaterasu floated in front of Judai, then placed a finger on his forehead and wrote the Kanji for "shining" with her other hand in light, signaling the end of the duel. Elemental Hero Earth and Cyber Angel Amaterasu then turned their heads towards one another, and nodded before vanishing, and Kuriboh and Winged Kuriboh did the same.

That was when Sacred Shinto Shrines of Ise vanished, allowing Judai and Asuka to see the crowd once more. To say that they were in a state of stunned silence, would be a completely accurate and without exaggeration assessment of the situation. Even Professor Chronos couldn't say anything, despite how very clearly he wanted to cheer at Judai's defeat. Then the silence was broken, by Judai's laughter.

"Asuka, that was brilliant! Simply the best! You really are the best Asuka!" Then he turned to his friends. "Come on everyone, let's here it for Asuka! Asuka! Asuka! Asuka!" Misawa was the first to begin, and before long everyone, from Manjoume to Momoe and everyone else, they were all chanting Asuka's name. Not Asuqueen, Asuka. Then Principal Samejima's image appeared, silencing the crowd.

"Congratulations, Asuka. Your performance was truly admirable, but more then that, this duel showed the grace and poise that any duelist of this academy should exhibit in whatever they do. Now, as the victor of the Whim of Fate tournament, you may request any prize that you desire, that is within my power to fulfill." Everyone became silent as all eyes fell on Asuka.

"...I would like a chance to duel Kaiser Ryoko...for Judai."

"That's a worthy request and...what?" There was now much murmuring in the stands and among their friends. Judai then walked up to Asuka, a confused look on his face.

"Asuka...is this because...?"

"You've helped me out several times now Judai; I'm returning the favor, and as far as I'm concerned, you're the one who really deserves to face her. You can win, I know it."

"Asuka...Oh I could kiss you!" He didn't; he just embraced her in a tight hug that threatened to cut off her air, and while Asuka didn't blush, this came close to changing that.

"How about you just do your best, okay Judai?" He then let go off her, and they both turned to the solid vision image of Samejima.

"Well, this is odd, but within your rights. Very well, I shall summon Kaiser Ryoko to the location of the duel; this stadium is far too small for a duel of this magnitude." The ceiling then changed, presenting the image of the volcano on the island. A huge mechanical grinding sound was heard as an open air arena emerged just off the rim of the volcano. "Asuka, will you please escort Judai?" Asuka nodded and the two duelists departed. Then their friends followed after them, giving them a respectful berth.

* * *

"So, even though you lost, you will still be facing me Judai. But...considering that you were able to return Asuka back to her proper state, I will accept this challenge." Kaiser Ryoko then turned off the moniter that she'd been watching, and departed, not waiting for her own escort.

* * *

"So, he just...fell into a coma?"

"Yeah. The doctors said it was a genetic condition that hadn't expressed itself until then, or something like that. But before that happened, we had one last duel, where he used his real deck against me for the first time. I still lost, but I did my best, and before he went unconscious, he gave me his deck and told me to try to perfect it, and one of the cards that he told me to find, was Kuriboh." He smiled at Asuka, who now understood his interest in her card.

"Well, the next time we duel, if you win, I'll let you have it, but you'll have to earn it Judai!"

"Yep! Anyway, the doctors said that they wouldn't rest until they discovered a cure, so I'll just keep dueling, getting stronger and stronger until I can face him again, and win. Oh, and the doctors said that Professor Midori didn't have the same condition, so that's good news."

"That is. You know Judai, I think that you can understand, the feelings that Fubuki's disapearence have brought out in me." Judai and Asuka stopped for a moment and looked at each other. Then, without saying anything, they resumed their journey, to where Judai would face the perfect duelist, who in her entire dueling career had never lost a duel, and was often spoken of as the next Duel King, "Kaiser" Ryoko Marufuji.

* * *

Author's Note: I would at this time like to think the author of the GX manga, for without his courage to have Manjoume defeat Judai at the end of his tournament, I would not have thought to have this duel turn out this way, and I'm much happier with Asuka winning then with Judai. Just one more duel to go, and then the real fun begins!


	26. Chapter 26

Strength of the Duelist, Power of Perfection

"So, even though you lost the duel, you've still earned the right to face me. That Asuka, of her own free will, provided this boon for you, is sign enough that you deserve this chance once more, Judai." Even on the outer rim of the volcano, it was still considerably warmer then the rest of the island. Even so, Kaiser Ryoko showed no signs of discomfort at all, so Judai and the others tried to do the same, to varying degrees of success. As for the audience from before, they were present, though not in person; solid vision projectors allowed them to appear to be their, and even for them to be heard, such was the budget and technology provided by Seto Kaiba.

"Kaiser Ryoko, I promise that I won't disappoint you. I've gotten a lot stronger since last time, and even more so since my duel with Asuka." He then turned to her, and his eyes said it all. The others, Misawa and Manjoume most notably, immediately began to move off towards a small cooled alcove, with just enough room for them to view the upcoming duel comfortably. Asuka herself simply took a few steps back, enduring the same heat that Judai and Kaiser Ryoko would be enduring. "I'm ready whenever you are, Kaiser!"

Kaiser Ryoko smiled. "As before Judai, the challenger can go first. But be forewarned, the greater force you bring against me, the greater I will bring against you."

"That's what I was hoping to hear, because I'm going all out! First I play A Hero Arrives, paying half my life points to special summon Elemental Hero Lady Heat from my deck in defense mode. Then I play E-Emergency Call to add another Elmental Hero Lady Heat from my deck to my hand, and to finish this combo off, I play Hero's Bond to special summon both Elemental Hero Lady Heats in my hand." Three young women were now gathered in front of Judai, ready to guard him with their lives. "Now I set two cards, and end my turn." The Lady Heats moved into formation, joining the fire of their souls together before throwing the mass of it at Kaiser Ryoko for 1800 points of damage. "Your move, Kaiser."

Vents of heat caused the tails of her coat to fly up, but Kaiser Ryoko was not perturbed. On the contrary, there was a profound grin on her face, the likes of which neither Shou nor Asuka had seen before. "I can feel it, how eager you are to win now Judai, and how much further your skills have grown. But, you have over-extended yourself, and that shall be your fatal downfall." An eastern wind began to blow across the arena as Kaiser Ryoko drew her card. "First I play Trade in, returning Dark Magician of Chaos from my hand to my deck to draw two cards." The wind began to circle around Kaiser Ryoko, waves of heat blurring her form.

"Damn Junko, have you ever heard of anything like this?"

"No Momoe, but if its anything like a shonen anime, its definitely not going to be good for Judai."

The wind settled down. "I now play the spell card, Spell Economics; so long as its on the field, I do not pay the life point costs of any spell cards I play. Next I play Dark Magic Curtain to special summon Dark Magician from my deck." A giant robed skeleton emerged from a smoky blackness. He then unfurled the cloak, revealing an off-colored void that coalesced into the form of the Dark Magician. "Next I play Diffusion Wave Motion, to allow Dark Magician to attack all your monsters on this turn." A roiling ball of energy gathered at the end of Dark Magician's staff. "And now I play Spellcaster's Secret Might; so long as this card is on the field, every time a spell caster monster on my side of the field attacks, I can pay five hundred life points to have that monsters attack penetrate your defense. But of course, Spell Economics means I don't have to pay that cost. In short, with three monsters on your side of the field, with one thousand defense each, my Dark Magician will do four thousand five hundred points of damage. Dark Magician, attack." Dark Magician gathered his energy, and was about to launch several blades of magical power at Judai's Elemental Heroes.

"I activate my trap card, Elemental Recharge, recovering three thousand life points." In the next moment Dark Magician's attack was launched, magical bands of power tearing Judai's monsters apart and then tearing into him. But with 500 life points left, he survived. "I told you I'm stronger now Kaiser, both on offense and on defense. And now that your battle phase is over, I activate my trap card Wind Water and Wood; when there are three Elemental Heroes of the same name in my graveyard, I can remove them from play to special summon Elemental Heroes Stratos, Woodsman, and Ocean from my deck in defense mode." The phantasms of the Elemental Hero Lady Heats appeared, each holding in their hands a concentration of the elemental basis of their brethren. Then a flurry of elemental forces rushed from each of them, and when it settled down, Judai had three new Elemental Heroes on the field. "And now I use Elemental Hero Stratos's effect to add Elemental Hero Voltic to my hand."

"Heh, that's very good Judai. An expert reversal of your situation that maintained field advantage, and more. But my turn is far from over; I play the Sacred Spell of Life, allowing me to recover life points equal to the battle damage that one of my spellcasters did this turn." Dark Magician gathered a huge nimbus of energy, and laid it gently over Kaiser Ryoko, raising her life point total to 6700. "Now, I set one card, and end my turn." Kaiser Ryoko smiled inwardly, for she knew exactly what Judai's strategy was, and she had the perfect counter; her trap card, Pride of Loyalty, would activate the moment Judai summoned Elemental Hero Earth to the field, and her Dark Magician would then destroy all of Judai's monsters, and with only Elemental Hero Voltic and one other card in his hand, Judai would be unable to defend himself. It was a good effort, but Judai would learn to pace himself before long.

"All right, here I go, draw!" Judai then looked at his card, and he stood there, as though thinking.

"Come on Judai," Manjoume muttered to himself. "Hurry up and make your move. What the hell are you waiting for."

"Manjoume," Misawa said, not looking away from Judai, "Don't worry, he won't screw up. He won't make us look bad, you'll see."

"Shut up Misawa, you don't know everything. I don't need Judai to win to validate my prowess." Manjoume's eyes then drifted from Judai over to Asuka, who seemed a tower of calm in the face of the once fast paced battle taking place before her. Then he shook his head, and noticed that he was getting a rather nasty glare from Misawa. Even in the cool alcove, it was too hot to think about that. Besides, Judai was making his move.

"All right, first I use Elemental Hero Woodsman's effect to add Fusion to my hand, and then I play Magician's Archive, letting me add a spell card from my deck to my hand, and I choose R-Righteous Justice, and since there are three Elemental Heroes on my side of the field, I can destroy all three of your spells and traps!" Each Elemental Hero stood up and stuck their arm out, firing the appropriate elemental force at Kaiser Ryoko's cards, destroying them. Kaiser Ryoko didn't say anything, but anyone could see the look in her eyes, and that knew that this had never happened before.

"Pride of Loyalty...Dark Magician...I'm..." Judai continued his attack.

"Now I play Fusion, combining Woodsman and Ocean into the Earth, and then I sacrifice Stratos to the Earth, raising his attack to forty-three hundred, and then I summon Elemental Hero Voltic from my hand. Now Elemental Hero Earth, attack Dark Magician! Magma Swords!" Dark Magician tried to erect a barrier to protect himself, but in the face of the Earth, it was too little, too late. And just before he expired, Dark Magician turned to Kaiser Ryoko, as though to say something, but of course nothing was said, and Kaiser Ryoko took 1800 points of damage. "Now Elemental Hero Voltic, attack directly!" Voltic summoned a heavenly bolt of lightning, striking Kaiser Ryoko for 1000 points of damage. The lightning then lingered in the air, like ball lightning. "When Elemental Hero Voltic deals battle damage, I can special summon an Elemental Hero that's been removed from play, so come back Elemental Hero Lady Heat, and do your thing!" The lightning ball flashed, revealing Lady Heat, who promptly attack Kaiser Ryoko, dealing another 1300 points of damage. "And now my turn is over, and Lady Heat can use her special effect. Fire Soul!" Elemental Hero Lady Heat then drew upon her companions power and launched another fireball at Kaiser Ryoko for 600 points of damage. Thus, at the end of the turn, she was left with 2000 out of 6700 life points, no cards on the field or in her hand.

The murmuring of the crowd could be heard across the field.

"Can you believe it? Kaiser Ryoko's going to lose!"

"No, she hasn't lost yet, she can still draw a card."

"Yeah right, what are the odds that she's going to get something that she can use at this point? She needs a four star monster with at least fifteen hundred attack points, or she's dead!"

"Yeah, and if that's all that she comes up with, it'll hardly be a perfect duel for her. Face it, this is one duel where she wasn't perfect."

"Well, after three years I suppose it was inevitable, but for it to happen against a first year Osiris Red? Who didn't even win the tournament?"

"Yeah, it makes you think that this is going to be the beginning of the-"

"Silence." Kaiser Ryoko's voice was low and quiet, but it broke through the noise and chatter of the crowd effortlessly.

"Big Sister...are you?" Shou then felt Hayako's arm on his shoulder, and he realized that he was stepping out of the alcove.

"Hey, you know your sister is way too strong to listen to them. Just watch."

A long silence fell over the arena; even the wind could no longer be heard, though it continued to blow none the less. Then Kaiser Ryoko drew her card.

"I play Magical Residue; I remove from play all magic cards in my grave, draw one card for each two so removed." A brilliant light began to shine from her graveyard, and three cards suddenly appeared in her hand. "Judai, allow me to show you, that even in your chosen specialty, you have a lot to learn."

"Kaiser Ryoko, you mean you're going to play..." Judai was in a state of joyful trepidation, and was having trouble keeping still.

"Fusion! I send Dark Magician and Goddess with Third Eye, the latter substituting for Flame Swordsman, to Fusion Summon Dark Flare Knight!" The sound of the wind returned with a renewed fury as lightning seemed to crash around the arena. Then, in between two flashes, he appeared. Clad in pitch black armor emblazoned with the reddest fire, armed with a thin but powerful sword and 2200 attack points. "Dark Flare Knight, attack Elemental Hero Earth!" Dark Flare Knight leaped, his black cape billowing behind him. But even without the power provided by Stratos, the Earth was still stronger, and quickly destroyed Dark Flare Knight.

"Kaiser Ryoko," Asuka said, mostly to herself, "Is this your true power?"

"And now I activate Dark Flare Knight's effect; when destroyed in battle, I suffer no battle damage, and I can special summon the Mirage Knight from my deck. Come forth, the ultimate warrior!" Mirage Knight, clad in golden armor and wielding a massive scythe, seemed to shimmer into being. "Mirage Knight starts with twenty-eight hundred attack points, and when he attacks, he gains attack power equal to the target monster's. Mirage Knight, attack Elemental Hero Earth!" Mirage Knight leapt forward in a motion identical to Dark Flare Knight's, but this time, when Elemental Hero Earth attempted to strike back in defense, its power contributed to Mirage Knight's attack and was slain even faster as a result. Judai was knocked off his feet as his life points were wiped away, but he quickly got back to his feet, a goofy grin on his face.

"Wow Kaiser Ryoko, you were right! I've still got a lot to learn, and I hope that I can get one more chance before you graduate! That was a great duel!" Once more, the crowd was cheering, having forgotten the...things that were said earlier, proclaiming Kaiser Ryoko to be their perfect and ideal duelist.

"Yes, you do. Now then, I will be heading to Principal Samejima's office; there is a private matter that I must discuss with her. Judai, you and the others are now free to do whatever else you may wish for the day." Kaiser Ryoko then walked past Judai, Asuka, and all the others, swiftly and steadily.

"Well guys," Judai said, his voice drawing all his friends to him, "we all did a great job, so lets celebrate!" And so everyone, even Asuka and Manjoume, began to cheer as they rushed back down to Duel Academia.

* * *

"So, Principal Samejima, you do believe that Fubuki's disappearance are connected to the Shadow Games?" She nodded to Professor Hibiki.

"Yes. While there are many things we don't know, everything that we've been provided with tells us that one way or another, someone is trying to revive the Shadow Games." The assembled professors were silent. Professor Daitokuji was the first to respond.

"Well, I can assure you that I will dedicate all my will and resources to discovering just what these games are capable off; what their limits are, and who's controlling them. Furthermore, I believe it would be for the best if we refrained from disseminating this information among the students."

"Professor Daitokuji!" Professor Chronos slammed down his fist on the desk, unconcerned with just how hard he struck it. "Perhaps you can remain calm while the students are in danger, but the same doesn't apply for all of us. If the Shadow Games that should not be are coming, are happening on this island, then the students should be made aware of it immediately, so that they can make the decision whether to risk their lives and sanity or not!"

"Professor Chronos, please try to be calm." Professor Hibiki said in an even tone, as though speaking to a student and not to a fellow Professor. This seemed to chastise Professor Chronos to satisfactory effect. "Professor Daitokuji, what he means is that saying what we do know now would only cause a panic. Do I need to remind you why this institution exists, and why we are here?"

Professor Chronos de Medici shook his head, and all three professors turned to Chancellor Samejima.

"Then it is decided; Professor Daitokuji will continue his research, and we shall continue to be observant, while not letting out what we suspect. Meeting adjourned."

It was right as Professor Daitokuji was about to exit Chancellor Samejima's office, a decided skip to his step, that he discovered that Ryoko Marufuji was just outside.

"So that's the plan that you've decided upon? Very well, I will go along with it. But if I find reason to believe that this plan would lead to Fubuki being harmed when otherwise could have been...well, we shall see."


	27. Chapter 27

Descent of the Shadows, Invasion of Dreams

"Miss Tenjouin, as the winner of the Whim of Fate tournament, you are entirely within your rights to request a leave of absence from class, for as long as you like. Just say the word, and I'll start filling out the forms and-" Asuka cut Professor Chronos off with a simple raising of her hand, and spoke calmly and evenly, not wanting to draw anymore attention then the professor already had.

"I understand and appreciate what you're trying to do, Professor Chronos, but it really isn't necessary. I may be a little tired right now, but its not to Judai's level at least." Asuka suppressed a rather large yawn just then, which meant that she didn't hear what Judai said in his sleep.

"Oh Asuka, you shouldn't have..." Many found their eyes growing wide at this subconscious declaration, with Manjoume, Misawa, and Shou most notable among them. And while Asuka had not heard Judai, she was able to reach certain conclusions, particularly from Professor Chronos's outburst directed at Judai.

"Wake up, you lousy Osiris Red Dropout Boy!" Professor Chronos brought his hand down in front of Judai, jerking him into a state of wakefulness. "You may have done well in the tournament, but you are still nowhere near Asuka's level, and I should have you sent to detention for such inappropriate thoughts for a boy of your station!" Judai had a rather puzzled look on his face, which was appropriate, as he was puzzling out what Professor Chronos de Medici was talking about. Asuka then started laughing, a good-natured, cheerful chuckling.

"Professor Chronos, I'm entirely certain that Judai would never have an 'inappropriate' dream about anyone. Right Judai?" Judai wasn't really sure what Professor Chronos and Asuka meant by "inappropriate", but he was pretty sure that the dream he was having wasn't, so he decided to clear things up.

"Well, I was just dreaming about Asuka giving me her Kuriboh, that's all. I didn't mean to create a commotion or anything like that." Many found that their eyes were still wide open, though not for the same reason as before. Most notable of those whose eyes had returned to normal were Manjoume, Misawa, and Shou. And while Professor Chronos's eyes were narrower, they had not returned to normal.

"Mister Judai Yuki, considering the kind of boy that you are, I actually believe you." Then Professor Chronos drew himself back up. "Enough of these distractions! Everyone, open your texts to page two hundred forty-seven and solve all the odd numbered problems, and don't forget to show your work!" There was a lot of groaning from the students, and Judai's was particularly loud, but it was normal high school student behavior. Which, given that Fubuki had now been missing for a week, was truly notable. Professor Chronos began to think that, in the end, that Professor Daitokuji, as much as he hated to admit it, was right in his plan to keep the truth hidden. He also swore to himself that whoever was behind this insidious plot against the Duel Academia, that he would deal with that person himself and not risk the lives, happiness, or sanity of any of his students. He would even, if absolutely necessary, consult with Daitokuji about the best way to duel someone who played Shadow Games, that's how determined he was.

* * *

"Honestly Asuka, is 'Kuriboh' some kind of code word between you two? Because there's no way that Judai was smiling like a baby at the thought of getting that card from you." Asuka sighed; she had hoped that she would be able to take a nice, relaxing bath in the women's bathhouse, but it seemed like that wasn't going to happen.

"Momoe, you know that Judai isn't like other guys. He doesn't see us as girls, but as fellow duelists. And besides, he has asked for my Kuriboh card before, so its not surprising to me that he would still want it." Junko moved closer to Asuka, a disbelieving look on her face.

"_Your_ Kuriboh, eh? I know that its been out of print for a long time, but I'm pretty sure that Judai could find it somewhere else. That is, unless what he really wants is a card that's close to your heart."

"And if its been close to her heart, you know where else its been close to! I'll bet that it's not just Judai who'd want a card that's been there!" Junko and Momoe began, well, tittering like school girls. Asuka covered her face, wishing that Junko and Momoe would find something else to talk about.

"Honestly you two, can we please drop the subject of my non-existent love life? Why don't we talk about our latest duels?" Junko and Momoe then got the last of their laughter out of their systems.

"Sorry Asuka," Momoe said, "But you have to admit, when most guys and some girls look at you and your figure the first time, they're thinking to themselves," Momoe then stood up and attempted to mimic a burly male voice, with a small measure of success. "Hey, I wonder if I can get it on with that hot chick? I so want to get my hands on those titties!" Then Momoe dropped down below the water level. "And not, you know, I'll bet she's a great duelist or something like that."

"But don't worry Asuka! Win a few more tournaments here and there, and your reputation will precede you so much that people will think the latter and not the former when they see you. Eventually." Junko then put a hand on Asuka's shoulders and gave her a good shake of support before moving off to get some more soap. She was then joined by Momoe, who offered to wash Junko's back, giving Asuka some much needed personal space.

Asuka looked over to Hayako, and was rather surprised when she came over to her.

"Did you need someone to wash your back Asuka?" They then looked over at Junko and Momoe, who seemed to enjoy helping each other stay clean.

"No, I was just thinking. Hayako, if you were given the chance to look like me, to have my body type, would you?" Hayako's eyes were wide open in shock.

"Are you kidding? I mean, you're the most beautiful girl in the whole school! Except, well, maybe Kaiser Ryoko is more beautiful, in a classical sense, but in terms of appeal, there's no one who can beat you there."

"I see. Well, I can't blame you for thinking that, and I don't think telling you that...never mind. I'm going to head to bed now, but we really should talk again, Hayako."

Asuka then arose from the bath water and wrapped a towel around herself, and as she returned to her locker and got herself dressed to return to the Obelisk Blue Dorm, she found that her thoughts wandering about the subject of herself, of her image and what people saw when they saw her, and then to Judai.

"At least I know that he saw me for who I am right away, but it would be nice if he weren't the only one."

* * *

"Come on Bro, you can tell us the truth; what were you really dreaming about in class? What was Asuka doing in your dream?" Judai was, in a word, cornered. He normally enjoyed going to the bath house with the guys, but they usually didn't try to put him through an inquisition over something that wasn't a big deal.

"Guys, I already told you, I told the truth in class. She gave me her Kuriboh card, and that's that." Manjoume scoffed, quite loudly.

"Please, and I'll bet she was fully dressed too." Judai raised an eyebrow.

"Why wouldn't she be fully dressed? I mean, you guys are fully dressed whenever you show up in my dreams, so why would Asuka be any different?" Misawa then came a little closer, lording over Judai.

"Because she is different from the rest of us, and don't say that you haven't noticed; considering the...embrace that you gave her after your duel with her last week, you would have to have noticed at least two areas where she was different from you and the rest of us." Misawa then stepped back, still denying Judai any opportunity to escape, but granting room to respond.

"Wait, hold on a second..." Then a light seemed to go off in Judai's head. "Oh now I get it, you're talking about her breasts!" Shou, Manjoume, and Misawa all fell back in shock; they couldn't believe that Judai was only now getting it! "To be honest, I don't get what the big deal about them is, and besides which, she's a duelist, like all of us. You guys wouldn't want people to be judging you for your hair," he indicated to Manjoume and his unusually spiky hair, "your height," he indicated to Shou and his lack of height, "or your...well, to be honest I can't come up with anything!" he said to Misawa, a mirthful laugh escaping from his mouth. "But still, you guys get what I'm saying, right?"

"I...guess I can see your point Bro, and its not that any of us think that Asuka isn't a great duelist, but, well..."

"She is a beautiful woman, and its not something that any of us are going to forget any time soon."

"And while I would say that her strength on the dueling field increases her beauty, her innate beauty is obvious to even those who do not appreciate the duel."

"Well, so long as you guys recognize how great of a duelist Asuka is then I don't really mind. Now then, who wants me to wash their back?" After that, things were quiet in the bath house, which gave Judai the chance to do some rare thinking; he thought about Asuka's determination, both in the tournament and elsewhere, and he began to really grasp what it was that she was determined to prove. Judai then decided that tomorrow he was going to ask Professor Chronos if he could arrange a lesson in Joint Duels, and that he would make a few quick adjustments to his deck before going to bed.

"Well guys, I'm going to go turn in. Wish me happy dreams, okay?" They all nodded, though they hoped that his dreams weren't _too_ happy. After all, there were parts of them that still didn't believe that Judai's dreams were as innocent as he said they were.

* * *

"Hey Judai, would you like to duel me?"

"Well of course I would Fubuki but no one knows where you are. Someone kidnapped you, remember?" Judai and Fubuki were in the bath house, which was strange to Judai; after all, he'd just gone to bed after adjusting his deck, which he'd decided to do back in the bath house...this was a dream! Judai realized that this was the first time he'd ever had a...what was it called? Well, it was the first time he knew that he was dreaming, and he wanted it to last; it was really neat!

"Kidnapped? No, I just went out camping and lost track of time. To celebrate my return to campus, I'd like you to come duel me." Fubuki then waved his arm dramatically, and a familiar copse in the woods warped into view.

"Wait...this is where I dueled Asuka and Kaiser Ryoko! Man, talk about a coincidence!"

"Really? Wow, I didn't know that! Dude, there's got to be some sort of cosmic significance to that location. Maybe we can discuss it with Professor Daitokuji afterwards! But of course, we have to duel first before that can happen. So you up to it, light of my sister's heart?" Judai was a bit unsure about that description of him, but...

"Of course I'll duel you!"

"That's good Judai. Well, its time for you to wake up, so make sure you get dressed; you wouldn't want to duel me in your boxers, now would you?"

"Of course not!" Judai realized that he'd said that after he woke up, and that he'd managed to wake up Shou and Hayako. "Um, false alarm guys, go back to bed. I'm going to be going for a walk, don't mind me." Once satisfied that they were back to sleep, he got dressed, put on his duel disk, and began running towards where he knew Fubuki would be. Wouldn't Asuka be surprised when she found out where he'd been all this time!"

* * *

"Asuka! Asuka! Please, can you hear me? Asuka!" Asuka found herself standing in an empty void, and across from her was...

"Fubuki!" This didn't not feel like a normal dream; it was like a lucid dream, but somehow it didn't feel like she was the one having the dream. But, she could figure out the bizarre metaphysics later, because right now her brother was here, and there was no telling how long that would last. "Fubuki, where have you been, who took you, and why?"

"Asuka, listen carefully; Judai is going to try to duel me tonight, and you can't let that happen! If he tries to duel me, he'll lose and he'll die!"

"Fubuki, that doesn't make any sense? How could you kill him by dueling, and why would you even do that to anyone, much less him?"

"I'd like to explain this better, but I'm almost out of time!" Fubuki's body began to waver, his legs wisping off into dark smoke. "I'm going to leave a card with you when you wake up, and it'll show you where to go! Please, Asuka, my sister, you're the only one who can keep this nightmare from-"

"Fubuki!" Asuka felt like someone had grabbed her consciousness and forced her awake. It made her feel dizzy, and as she rubbed her head, she felt a card on top of it. She grabbed it, and looked at it.

"Swing of Memories...? Of course!" While the copse of woods in question wasn't very far, Asuka still had to get dressed, which would take more time then she would have liked, but there was nothing for it but to do it. She then whipped on her Duel Disk and ran out, hoping to make every second count.

* * *

"Fubuki! Fubuki! Where are you, I'm ready to duel!" Judai stopped to catch his breath; he'd arrived at the spot where Fubuki said he'd be, but there was no one there. Maybe his dream was just a dream? But...there was something strange and heavy about the air, something that made it difficult to breathe.

"Judai, good, I've found you!"

"Asuka! What are you doing here?" Judai noticed that Asuka was having similar trouble breathing as he was, which didn't make much sense; they were much closer to the Obelisk Blue dorm then to the Osiris Red dorm, so she shouldn't have gotten exhausted.

"Listen to me, did you come here to duel Fubuki?"

"How did you know that Asuka? Did he appear in your dream too and ask you to come here?"

"He did what? But he told me to keep you from dueling him. Why would he tell you to come here, and tell me to stop you...it doesn't make sense."

"It's because _he _only appeared in your dream, sweet Asuka. I was the one that appeared in delicious Judai's dream." Judai and Asuka then turned to the voice, and seemingly from out of the darkness itself, someone appeared, though he was still shrouded in the dark. Whoever it was, their voice was filtered, as though the darkness surrounding him was a solid thing. "He tried to interfere with me, hoping to spare his life, and your anguish. But thanks to him, the terror that will be born on this evening will be even greater then I'd planned for!"

"Who are you? Are you the one who kidnapped my brother? Show yourself, you bastard!" The strange man laughed, his voice still shrouded.

"Kidnapped? No, I wasn't the one who kidnapped Fubuki." He snapped his fingers, expelling the darkness with what felt like a hurricane wind.

"No, you, you can't be..." Asuka stepped back, the world no longer seeming stable.

"You, what happened to you..." Judai was wide eyed with shock, unable to understand what he saw.

"I am Fubuki! The real Fubuki!" Fubuki then howled with laughter, unconcerned with the tattered state of his uniform, nor with the numerous and painful looking scars that now covered his face like a mask, nor even with the fact that his Duel Disk was now a jagged and bloody thing. "And with this Shadow Game, I will bring to you the Terror of Death!" He laughed again, and as he did, a canopy of darkness began to descend upon them, and Judai and Asuka realized that there would be no escape from this duel to the death.

* * *

Author's Note: I'd like to say a few things. First of all, thanks to everyone who's been following my story so far; now is when the things that have been built up earlier are followed up on and when the stakes will be highest.

Second, anyone who is at all familiar with the .Hack franchise should immediately recognize a certain element of this chapter. Not going to say what, but I hope the referrence adds to the story, as opposed to subtracting from it.

Third, you may have noticed a certain pattern to my uploads; at first I did them every day, then every other day, and then every three days. From this point on, I will be updating every four days. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with that self-imposed schedule.

And as always, I like getting reviews, especially the critical ones; it's the only way I'll ever learn!


	28. Chapter 28

**Author's Note:** This chapter is going be a little dark. How dark? Do you recall Yami Malik from the original Yu-Gi-Oh Manga? Do you remember the Shadow Games he played? Having Mai eaten alive by poisonous scorpions, burning Jounouchi alive with the wrath of Ra, and tearing Yuugi's body into pieces? And how he skinned his father alive? Yeah, that kind of dark. Just thought I'd warn everyone.

* * *

The Terror of Death Strikes, A Shadow Duel to the Death!

"Fubuki, what are you doing? What the hell happened to you? What happened to you, brother!" The canopy of darkness that Fubuki had summoned had now reached the ground, yet there was something unearthly about that darkness that allowed Judai and Asuka to see their surroundings.

"My sweet Asuka, you shouldn't worry your pretty little head over things like that; men are complicated creatures, and you can't be expected to understand us, right, delicious Judai?" Fubuki turned his head and began to lick at the scars around his mouth, several of which crossed onto the lips themselves. It was highly disconcerting, to say the least.

"What are you saying Fubuki? I don't understand, what happened to you, nor how you can say such things to your sister! You said you wanted to duel me; well then, I will, and when I win you'll have to go back to normal!" Judai then armed his duel disk and readied himself for battle.

"No Judai!" Asuka then stepped in front of Judai, facing Fubuki as she armed her Duel Disk. "Even if my brother is not himself, he's still too strong for you to face. Let me duel him, he's my responsibility!"

"But Asuka, I'm the one he challenged, and you know I can't turn down a challenge."

"Even if it means you'll die? If this really is a Shadow Game, then Judai, you can't throw away your life away so recklessly!" Fubuki then started laughing again.

"Oh dear, the drama is just too juicy for me. If I don't put a stop to it, I might just make a spectacle of myself." Fubuki giggled this time, which was still as disturbing as the full laughter. "So, let me resolve this little lovers spat for you two." Fubuki then stuck his left arm out and pulled his mostly intact sleeve back, revealing a strange golden armband. It was a painful looking thing, covered in spikes that embedded themselves into his arm. Fubuki then started chanting in a strange language, and the armband began to convulse, tearing away flesh and draining blood onto the ground. Judai and Asuka were too shocked to even say anything as the gruesome ritual continued, more and more blood pooling on the ground. Then Fubuki stopped, and the armband seemed to settle down.

"Now, arise." Fubuki got down to his knees and placed his hand just above the pool of blood, his face looking much paler for the loss, though not as pale as it should have, given the volume of blood on the ground. Then he lifted his hand up, and the blood arose with it. As Fubuki drew himself back up, the blood began to outline the form of a man, and once it reached Fubuki's height, darkness began to pool into it, filling out the body. Then, with a simple snap, the body of blood and shadow became another Fubuki, tattered uniform and scarred face and all.

"Man, if this weren't so terrifying, it'd actually be kind of cool." Now both Fubukis faced Judai and Asuka, their laughter echoing together like a sick stereo speaker. Then the first Fubuki spoke.

"Now, this way we can conduct a joint duel, and neither of you will be required to argue like an old married couple over who's going to die for who." The two Fubukis then armed their Duel Disks. Judai then turned to Asuka.

"Well, he...they're right about one thing. We're going to have to work together Asuka, and that means you have to let me fight alongside you." Asuka looked back at Judai, and smiled an eager, predatory smile.

"Well, when you put it like that, I can't argue with it. In fact, I don't even really want to." Then she turned back to the two Fubukis "You, whoever you are, you are going to learn what happens when you challenge the two finalists of the Whim of Fate tournament! Let's duel!" Both Fubukis smiled then, bearing teeth that looked much sharper then they should have. Then the second Fubuki spoke.

"Heh heh, I change my attire a little, and my own sister doesn't recognize me. Such a simple woman, but I love her anyway. Why don't you go first, Judai?" Judai had to suppress a growl; he knew that if he got too angry that he wouldn't be able to make good decisions, but it was getting really hard; what did this new Fubuki have against his own sister?

"All right, you asked for it! I summon Elemental Hero Heat, and then I set two cards to end my turn." The moment Elemental Hero Heat appeared, he seemed more real then he usually did, more real then even the solid vision systems were capable of. The heat of his body seemed to roll off him in waves.

"Is that all?" The first Fubuki chuckled. "I suppose that's all an Osiris Red is capable of, even if his life is on the line. My turn. I summon the Zombie Master." A terrible groaning filled the air, followed by a childish high pitched laughter as a small boy, with pale skin and pale hair, appeared on the field. Its wide open grin was the opposite of reassuring, as the Zombie Master had neither teeth nor lips, both having been lost to the ravages of time. And with 1800 attack points, it was every bit the equal to Elemental Hero Heat. "Zombie Master, once per turn, can send one monster in my hand to the grave to special summon a level four or lower zombie monster from the grave. Now, I don't have any in the grave yet, so I'll set two cards, and end my turn."

"My turn!" Asuka called out, finding herself more eager then before; Fubuki didn't use zombie monsters in his deck, which helped her to think of her opponent as not Fubuki. "I now summon Blizzard Warrior." A knight in frozen armor and wielding a double-ended lance of ice appeared, radiating frost in a similar manner to the heat from Elemental Hero Heat, and where the two elemental forces met, a fog began to build. "This isn't Solid Vision..." Asuka whispered to herself, a dreading realization of what would happen when the battle began in earnest. But there was no stopping now! "Now I set two cards, and end my turn."

"My my, how predictible; it doesn't surprise me that you would copy us, sweet and tender Asuka." The second Fubuki chuckled; Asuka tried to ignore this but it wasn't easy. "But your monster is plainly inferior, with only fourteen hundred attack points and I'll bet that neither of your cards are up to the task either. So I'll go easy on you; I summon Decoy Dragon." A sickeningly cute baby blue dragon appeared, looking horribly out of place against the mood of the duel. "Then I play Foolish Burial to send one monster from my deck to the grave. The monster I send, is none other then the Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" A horrible cry of pain wracked the field, and for a moment the spirit of Red-Eyes could be seen, being sent to the grave against its will. "Now I set one card, and end my turn. Go on Judai, now's your chance to attack and prove yourself. You wouldn't want to look bad in front of the little lady, now would you?"

"Damn it," Judai muttered under his breath. "Kouyou, I know you taught me to always have fun, but these guys are making that really dificult." Then, out loud, "I now summon Elemental Hero Lady Heat, and since there's a second Elemental Hero on the field, Elemental Hero Heat's attack rises to two thousand, which is more then enough to defeat your Zombie Master." Judai then paused and turned his head to Asuka. She then gave him a quick nod, her grim determination plain on her face. "So here I go; Elemental Hero Heat, attack Zombie Master!" No sooner did Elemental Hero Heat begin to move, when a legion of ghostly hands gripped him, stopping him in his path.

"Heh heh heh, my trap card, Call of the Earthbound." The first Fubuki chuckled out. "I now get to decide which monster you're going to attack, and its going to be my other's monster." Elemental Hero Heat was then thrown into the path of the Decoy Dragon.

"That's right," The second Fubuki joined in, "and when Decoy Dragon is targeted by an attack, I can special summon a level seven or higher dragon from my graveyard, and change the attack target to that card. So, say hello to Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" The phantom of the Red-Eyes began to take shape...

"Hold it!" Asuka called out, commanding the attention of all there. "I activate my trap card, Divine Wrath! I discard one card to negate your monster's effect and destroy it, which means that Red-Eyes stays in the grave and Elemental Hero Heat continues his attack as planned."

"All right Asuka, that was awesome! Now we'll get through their monsters even faster!" A bolt of lightning then struck down on Decoy Dragon with all the wrath of an angy god, but somehow it never reached it.

"What? How could..." Now it was the second Fubuki who was laughing, a laughter that possessed a sheer cruelty that caused Asuka's stomach to turn over.

"My trap card, Grip of Terror. I activate it when you try to destroy a monster with an effect; you have to draw one card and then show it to us, and if that card is a spell or trap card, then your cards effect goes through. But! If that card that you draw is a monster card, your card is negated and then you take damage equal to one half the monster's attack power. Well, do you think that you can handle this, sweet Asuka?" The way the two Fubuki's were staring at her caused Asuka to break out into a cold sweat. Only Fubuki could get under her skin like this, but he would never...would he never?

"I draw my card!" She cried out, trying to keep her resolve together; there was a fifty percent chance that this would work in her favor.

"Oh my, it looks like you drew a powerful monster indeed. Too powerful for your own good." Asuka looked down, and saw in her hand, the Ice Master, with 2500 attack points. "Grip of Terror, tighten your grasp." A massive decayed yet muscular hand ripped out of the ground in front of Asuka and grabbed hold of her whole body, crushing her for 1250 points of damage, and despite herself, she screamed out in pain.

"Asuka!" Judai cried out, almost with the same pain that Asuka felt.

"You don't have time to worry about her, delicious Judai, since you have some pain of your own to deal with!" The spirit of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon took solid form, and breathed out a solid ball of fire at Elemental Hero Heat, which not only destroyed him but also spilled over to Judai, who could feel the fire burning away at him for 400 points of damage. By this time, Asuka had been released, and both duelists had fallen to their knees.

"I'm sorry Asuka, I really screwed that up. If I hadn't attacked..." Asuka then stood back up, refusing to show any of the pain she'd just suffered.

"No Judai, I gave you the go ahead. Besides, I'll bet the fact that they now have the Red-Eyes on the field plays to your advantage Judai. Or am I wrong about your face down cards?" Judai then looked at her, and started to laugh, a good natured laugh that renewed his and her's energy, allowing him to stand back up.

"Yeah, you're right. I'll be turning this around next turn, you'll see." Then to the two Fubukis "All right, I end my turn, which means Lady Heat deals two hundred damage to you two guys." Lady Heat tossed a tiny ball of fire, tiny in comparison to the fire of the Red-Eyes, impacting the space between the two Fubukis, spilling onto both of them evenly. They didn't flinch.

"How cute, the tiny embers of his courage are truly special." The first Fubuki said to himself. "But it looks like I'm going to tear you two to pieces; I now summon Malevolent Mech Goku En!" A terrible creature, a body made of molten ash and blue fire and shaped into the form of a deformed leonine monster, roared into being with 2400 attack points. "So long as I have a zombie monster on the field, I can summon Malevolent Mech Goku En without sacrifice, and while it would be most unfortunate if Zombie Master were lost, that's not going to happen; Malevolent Mech, attack Blizzard Warrior." The Malevolent Mech didn't even have a chance to move before Judai acted.

"Hold it!" Judai cried out, more urgently then he would have for his own sake. "I activate my spell cards, Flute of Summoning Kuriboh and Transcendent Wings, summoning Winged Kuriboh from my deck, and then discarding two cards to sacrifice him to special summon Winged Kuriboh Level Ten from my deck, and then I activate his effect, sacrificing him to destroy all your monsters and deal damage equal to their attack points! Winged Kuriboh Level Ten, Shining Sacrifice!" As Winged Kuriboh Level Ten used its effect, the warm glow it created seemed to pierce the darkness shrouding the field, if only for a moment. More lasting though, was the damage it had dealt to the Fubukis, 6900 points to be precise. Their screams could be heard, echoing against the darkness that Fubuki had summoned earlier. But as the light faded, the screams of pain became screams of rapturous joy.

"Yes, yes, yes!" The two Fubukis called out together, as though in the throws of passion. "Such pain, pain that brings me so close to death itself..." The second Fubuki trailed off.

"Now, let us show you the pain you've given us!" The first Fubuki cried out, still unsteady on his feet. "I activate my trap card, Rushing Return of Death!" A terrible, roiling energy began to build on the field. "With this trap card, I can remove from play three monsters in my grave to special summon one monster out of the grave. I remove Decoy Dragon, Zombie Master, and Malevolent Mech Goku En, to special summon the Red-Eyes back to the field." The Black Dragon's ferocious roar resounded once more, somehow even fiercer then before. "Furthermore, the monster special summoned in this way can attack again every time it destroys a monster by battle. We'll start with you Judai. Red Eyes, attack Elemental Hero Lady Heat!" Red-Eyes reared back, preparing its attack.

"Not so fast! I activate my trap card Blizzard Curtain, changing Elemental Hero Lady Heat to defense mode." A fierce blizzard formed in front of Lady Heat, providing the distraction needed to shift to the defensive, which meant that Red-Eyes's fireball did no damage. "Furthermore, since Lady Heat was destroyed, Red-Eyes gains an Ice Counter!" The blizzard then coalesced around Red-Eyes, restricting its movements.

"Ah, that's so sweet. Unfortunately, that means that you're left with no way to defend yourself Asuka. It's not a shame though, since your body will once more writhe so beautifully." The first Fubuki licked his teeth, salivating. "Red-Eyes, attack, and attack again, Inferno Fire Blast!" Red-Eyes destroyed Blizzard Warrior for 1000 points of damage, and though it attacked again, it seemed hesitant, as though it recognized Asuka. But it attacked all the same for 2400 points of damage. And while the pain was intense, Asuka withstood it, looking no worse for wear.

"Heh, is that all you got? Come on _Fubuki_, you can do better then that." The second Fubuki suddenly looked away as the first Fubuki sneered at Asuka.

"Well now, aren't you a stubborn one? I'll have to beat that out of you. Heh, end turn."

"My pleasure! First I play the field spell card Absolute Zero Barrier!" The air all around them became colder, and the ice that clung to Red-Eyes Black Dragon expanded, forcing him to the ground. "So long as this card is on the field, your monsters lose five hundred attack points for every Ice Counter on them, and now I summon Cold Enchanter, and discard one card to add another Ice Counter to Red-Eyes." Cold Enchanter raised her wand high, creating another layer of ice that encased the Red-Eyes completely. "With two Ice Counters on Red-Eyes, that reduces his attack to fourteen hundred, and raises Cold Enchater's to twenty-two hundred. Cold Enchanter, attack!" A hailstorm of ice descended on the dragon, tearing its frozen body apart for 800 points of damage, leaving the two Fubukis with only 100 life points left. "Now I set one card, and end my turn." The second Fubuki seemed to waver in his resolve as he drew his next card, but the moment he saw what it was, he resumed the depraved look in his eyes that he had before.

"I'll bet you think that what you did was pretty impressive, sweet Asuka; of course, with Judai there by your side to humour that notion, it's no surprise at all. But now I have to show you real power, power that you can never achieve in even a thousand years; I play the field spell card, Zombie World!" The cold of Absoulute Zero Barrier vanished, replaced by the chill of death as all the life around the duelists seemed to rot away, as ages old corpses seemed to appear from the ground. Even Cold Enchanter seemed to become sickly, pale and halfway to being dead. "With this card, all monsters on the field and in the grave become zombie type monsters, and no monsters other then zombies can be summoned by sacrifice summon. So now I play Book of Life, special summoning a zombie monster from my grave, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Once more the dragon roared, even more pain wracking its body. "But I'm not finished; because you see, Book of Life allows me to remove a monster from your graveyard from play, and I choose your Lady Heat, Judai. Finally, if I sacrifice a zombie monster, I only need one sacrifice to summon the Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon!" Red-Eyes began to decay, and soon it ceased to cry out in pain; now its body was surrounded in a nimbus of blue fire, a fire that consumed souls.

"That monster, its like the...Darkness Dragon." The second Fubuki howled with laughter.

"Oh, do not compare this to that pathetic creature! Though I will admit that it can't reach the attack power of the Darkness Dragon, its effect is far superior; you see, when Red-Eyes Zombie dragon destroys a zombie monster by battle, I can special summon that monster onto the field. Which means that I'll be killing you two with your own monster, Asuka!" Then he turned to Judai. "Tell me Judai, how does it feel, to know that you're about to die because of that stupid woman's incompetence? I'll bet it feels just-!"

"Shut up!" Judai yelled out, shocked by the level of anger in his voice, but not stopping for that. "If you really do think that Asuka is weak, then just attack already! Or are you afraid that her face-down is exactly the card that's going to defeat you?" He said with a grin on his face, unnerving the Fubukis. Asuka looked over to Judai, looked him in the eye, and they knew that nothing more needed to be said.

"Tch, don't be stupid. Like I'd be worried about the trap set by her; Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon, consume Cold Enchanter with the fires of hell! Eternal Death Flame!" As the Zombie Dragon gathered the blue fire that surrounded its body, Asuka flashed a grin of her own.

"Maybe you could have won with the real Fubuki's deck, and the Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon, but your Zombie dragon has failed you; I activate my trap card, Double-Passe, changing your monsters attack to a direct attack, and allowing mine to do the same to you. And while I can take the damage, you can't! Its over! And I know that whatever you are, you are not my brother, so release him, now!" At first it seemed as though the two Fubukis were about to cringe, but then they both laughed again, harsher and crueler then ever.

"Does she really think that that worthless trap will work against us? Why don't you show her, my other self?" The first Fubuki called out.

"Of course; I now play the quick spell card, Joy from Pain!" At this point, both monsters had reached their opponents, and were now waiting to strike. "If I would take damage, by sending cards from the top of my deck to the grave for every multiple of one hundred, I instead recover twice the damage I would have taken! In other words, you've just healed me thirty-two hundred life points, you stupid bitch!" Cold Enchanter then attacked, but rather then harming, it brought nothing but life and joy to Fubuki.

"No..." Asuka could feel it, her resolve wavering. Her trump card, foiled expertly, she couldn't...

"Yes! Now, Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon, put her in her place, bring her the pain she cries out for, Eternal Flame Death!" The Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon landed just in front of Asuka and swiftly knocked her down before unleashing the full fury of its fiery breath, leaving Judai and Asuka with only 550 life points left.

"Asuka!" Judai ran over to her and got down on his knees at her side, desperately hoping that she wasn't... "Asuka, please get up, we can still win this duel!" He then saw that her eyes were wide open, and filled with a terror unlike any he'd ever seen before. He took her hand, and noticed how cold it was, despite the intense hell fire that she'd been exposed to. "Asuka, its okay, my strategies didn't work out either. Please, get back up."

"She can't." Judai turned his head to the first Fubuki, not noticing that the second Fubuki was crouching down, clutching his head. "She has accepted her proper place; she does not belong on the battle field, with the likes of us. No, she belongs on her back, like all women do! Come on Judai, go on, take her!"

"...What?" Judai was too shocked for even anger, and he saw the terror in Asuka's eyes growing.

"You might be mostly ignorant, but even you, you can't resist the temptation of my dear sweet sister's body. Remember, I was in your dreams, and while you might be able to deceive the others with your pathetic lies, we both know what sort of 'kuriboh' that you really want from her! And while normally she'd try to resist, try to deny you the pleasure that you deserve, I've now burned away all the false strength and stubbornness, so there is now nothing to stop you. She knows that this is all that anyone will ever see her as, all that anyone will ever want from her, or will ever have use for from her! And she knows that you are no exception, no matter how much she might wish it otherwise! Consider this my gift to you Judai, before I kill you; take any pleasure you desire from her, do whatever you like, do not worry yourself or hold back at all! Bring her terror to a full peak, bring pain unspeakable to her body and soul before I visit the pure Terror of Death upon you both!" The first Fubuki howled with uproarious laughter while the second collapsed further into himself, and Judai felt Asuka's hand slipping away from his, and he turned back to her, seeing once more the terror in her eyes.

"Please...don't...Judai...I thought..." Tears were now welling up in her eyes, and...Judai was now past anger.

"You, are not Fubuki." He said, glaring directly at Fubuki, still not leaving Asuka's side.

"Really? Then who am I?"

"You're a monster, wearing Fubuki's skin. But more then that, you don't know anything about Asuka." Judai then turned back to Asuka. "Don't you believe anything that thing said about you. I would never even think of doing something so horrible to anyone, especially not you. Asuka, tomorrow I was going to ask Professor Chronos to let us do some Joint Dueling, because out of everyone on this whole island, there's no one I'd rather have at my side in a duel then you." Asuka's tears were gone, and the terror was diminishing. "You're my friend Asuka. You're strong and kind, and you'll take on the whole world, rather then let anyone carry your burden for you. You're a great duelist who has a lot to be proud of, and you don't let other people decide who you are for you. And your brother, your real brother, he can be a pain to you sometimes, but he loves you more then anything in the world and only wants the best for you! Asuka, that thing needs to be defeated, and I can't do it on my own! Let's do this together Asuka, and rescue your brother from that monster!" There was moment of silence, and then Asuka leaped to her feet, her eyes glowing with a determination yet unseen. Judai arose with similar swiftness, returning to his side of the field.

"You! You shouldn't be able to stand! How could you...!" The first Fubuki stopped, for the second Fubuki suddenly began to cry out in pain. "Oh no you don't! I am in control, and I won't let you escape that easily!" The first Fubuki glared at the second, who suddenly stopped screaming.

"Well," Asuka said, her voice carrying not even the slightest trace of fear or pain. "It looks like your hold over my brother isn't as absolute as you'd like it to be. I think that in facing us, you've bitten off more then you could chew. Go on Judai, show them what we're made of."

"All right, here I go!" And at that, a cleansing wind seemed to blow across the field, making the air clean and easy to breathe. "I play Legacy of a Hero! Since there are two Elemental Heroes in my grave, I remove from play one card in my hand to draw three cards." The faint afterimage of Elemental Hero Heat appeared, and Judai grinned when he saw the cards he drew. "All right, here I go! First I play Parallel World Fusion! Since Elemental Heroes Heat and Lady Heat have both been removed from play, I can fusion summon Elemental Hero Inferno in defense mode!" The massive man of fire now stood before Judai and Asuka, protectively extending his arms in front of them. "Now I set two cards, and end my turn."

"Heh, a meaningless effort." The first Fubuki sneered as he began his turn. "After all, Zombie World is still on the field, which means that even your Inferno is already dead on the inside, and by discarding Marionette Mite, I can take control of him until the end of the turn!" A hideous stitch work insect descended onto Elemental Hero Inferno and cleaved open a path into him, taking him over. "And now, since Elemental Hero Inferno is attacking a water monster, he gains one thousand attack points, which will make the pain you two suffer even greater! Kill Cold Enchanter, Elemental Hero Inferno, and kill Judai and Asuka as well!" Inferno's movements were hollow but effective, but even as the attack grew closer, Asuka felt no fear.

"Quick spell activate, Residual Reflection!" Elemental Hero Inferno's fist bore through Cold Enchanter, but was stopped before it could reach Asuka, blocked by the souls of Elemental Heroes Voltic and Obsidian. "By removing two monsters in my grave from play, I reduce all damage this turn, to zero!" Then he turned to Asuka. "Sorry I couldn't save your Cold Enchanter."

"That's okay," Asuka said with an easy smile on her face, "you saved our life points and that's what matters. Thanks Judai!"

"What the hell is this? You two, how can you be so excited at a time like this? Even with that delaying tactic, you're both still doomed to the Terror of Death! I set one card and end my turn!"

"Oh shut up!" Fubuki, both Fubukis, cringed at their sister's command. "I've had enough of you, trying to use my brother's face and voice against me, doing whatever unspeakable things you did to him to break him under your control. But now, I'm not scared of you at all. My turn!"

"And now I activate my spell card, Spellbook inside the Pot, allowing each of us to draw three cards. Asuka, I figured it would be best for you to get these cards first." She smiled at the memory of the last time he'd played the card in their duel; it really did reflect his belief in making sure that both duelists would have fun. And here, it would prove devastatingly effective.

"I now set four cards, and end my turn."

"What?" The second Fubuki said in shock. "No monsters, even with four cards? Damn, your deck really is top-heavy, heh heh heh..." The innuendo had no effect, that was plain to see. "Fine. First I summon the Sapphire Dragon, and then I sacrifice him to activate Death's Fanatic Followers; every time a zombie monster is special summoned from the grave, I can special summon another zombie from my deck or grave of the same level plus one. Now I play...I play...Asuka?" In that moment, the second Fubuki was himself, but before Asuka could respond, the first Fubuki slammed his will down onto the second. "I play Swing of Memories, special summoning Red-Eyes Black Dragon from the grave, and with Death's Fanatic Followers I special summon Despair from the Dark!" A towering red shadow with a leering grin now emerged from the Red-Eyes Black Dragon's Shadow. "Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon, attack Elemental Hero Inferno and claim his soul!" Judai and Asuka exchanged a quick glance as the Zombie Dragon's fire consumed Inferno, without so much as touching Judai or Asuka.

"And now Elemental Hero Inferno's effect activates; when he gets sent to the grave, I can add a spell card from my grave to my hand, and I choose Spellbook in the Pot!"

"That's nice Judai, but you won't live to use it!" It was then that Inferno joined the other side once more, but after a quick look from Asuka, the despair seemed to leave his face. "Despair from the Dark, kill them!"

"And now we have you right where we want you. I activate my face down cards; first Flute of Summoning Kuriboh, to special summon Kuriboh from my deck to the field. Second, Multiply, sacrificing Kuriboh to special summon ten Kuriboh tokens." Now Judai and Asuka's fields were filled with the little furballs, and several of them turned to face Judai and Asuka, smiling with their eyes. "And now Detonating! I sacrifice my Kuriboh tokens to destroy all the cards on your side of the field. Go Kuriboh!" Each tiny little monster rushed forward, and despite the great disparity in power against them, the Kuribohs were able to, at the cost of their own lives, destroy every card on the Fubukis side of the field. Now the copse was back to normal, no longer cold of death.

"But don't forget! Since I controlled Elemental Hero Inferno, I get to take advantage of his effect, and I use it to take A Deal With Dark Ruler, one of the cards sent to the grave with Joy from Pain, from my grave! Now...Asuka! You can't let me play this card! Judai you...aaaaaaahhh!" The second Fubuki cried in pain as he fell to his knees, and the first Fubuki was livid.

"That is it, I've had it with you! I don't need two bodies to win this duel anymore." The second Fubuki grabbed the first by the head and raised him up into the air, and then began absorbing him back into his own body. It was a sickening display, but by the end of it there was only one Fubuki, who was no longer so pale. "Now I play A Deal With Dark Ruler, and since a level eight monster was sent from the grave, I can special summon Berserk Dragon from my deck!" A towering, near dead dragon, motivated only by sheer rage, and armed with 3500 attack points. "Furthermore, I now activate the effect of Dark Deal's Renewal in my grave; rather then losing five hundred attack points at the end of each turn, Berserk Dragon will gain five hundred attack points! Berserk Dragon, attack directly! Death from Beyond!"

"Heh," Asuka glared back at the dragon, almost enough to make it cower despite its sheer size and strength. "Thanks, you monster. Now I can activate my Trap Card, Reverse River Flow! When you special summon a monster, I can special summon one water monster from my grave, and I choose Ice Master, in defense mode!" Berserk Dragon's fire met Ice Master, and the latter erected a runic barrier that was equal to the attack, displacing it around Asuka harmlessly. "Furthermore, on the turn that a monster is summoned in this manner, it can't be destroyed by battle." Then she turned to Judai. "All right Judai, finish that pathetic dragon off."

"You got it Asuka!" He played Spellbok Inside the Pot, and couldn't believe it; the last card he drew, it was one of the cards he'd switched into his deck for their joint duel, and Asuka had exactly the monster on the field that would make it work.

"All right, I play E-Emergency Call to add Elemental Hero Woodsman to my hand, and then I play Fusion Gate and remove Woodsman and Ocean from play to summon Elemental Hero Earth." Elemental Hero Earth once more crashed onto the field, breaking through the canopy of darkness and leaving a gaping hole behind. "And now I activate Ice Master's effect; I add an Ice Counter to your monster, and then sacrifice her to destroy it!" Ice Master gathered a huge mass of ice onto Berserk Dragon's body, and then released her soul to destroy it. "And now I activate my spell card, Equal Merit! I choose a monster on my field, and special summon another monster from the grave of equal level; I now summon Ice Master!" Asuka smiled, both inwardly and outwardly; Fusion Elemental Heroes couldn't be summoned from the grave, which meant that this card, it could only have been meant to work with her deck.

"All right Judai, let's do this together! Ice Master..."

"And Elemental Hero Earth..." And then together...

"Attack!" Both monsters struck simultaneously, knocking the darkness out of right out of Fubuki; as it did, his Duel Disk turned back into his academia issued one and the golden spiked armband turned to dust and joined together with the dark, which was somehow glaring at them, despite the lack of eyes.

"You know what, fine! It would have been boring to win this skirmish anyway! But, to leave you with one last piece of terror; this battle has been planned out well before either of you even came to this island, and you two have already contributed to my inevitable victory! Until then!" Then it vanished, and the only darkness left was from the lack of light at midnight.

"Asuka...Judai...thank you..." Fubuki then began to collapse, and Asuka rushed forward to catch him, holding onto him like she he feared he would disappear again if she didn't.

"Judai, he's alive...but he's badly hurt! We need to get him to the nurses office, right away! Help me carry him!"

"Right away Asuka..." Judai was about to lift Fubuki by the shoulders, when he noticed something very strange. "Um...Asuka, do you see a Kuriboh floating just above your shoulder?" Asuka turned her head towards Judai, away from Fubuki, and stared back at him.

"Judai...I think you should look at your own shoulder." They both looked at their shoulders; on Asuka's, there was Kuriboh, and on Judai's, Winged Kuriboh. Both of the little fur balls leaped into the air and began circling about one another; they both briefly cheered, seemingly at being noticed, and then flew off towards the nurses office.

"Weird...but we'll figure that out later!" And so the two duelists lifted Fubuki up and began carrying him to the Nurses Office, hoping that he would still be okay when they got there. However, when they were halfway to their destination, they were met by Emi Ayukawa, the head nurse, and her assistants.

"Is that...what happened to Fubuki! Quick, get him onto the stretcher! I can't believe that this is...Judai, Asuka!" Mere moments after they deposited Fubuki onto the stretcher, Judai and Asuka fell unconscious, their exhaustion having seemingly finally caught up with them.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I'm going to level with everyone right now; this is the chapter that I've been wanting to write since I started working on this story. When I saw the episodes in season one when Judai was dueling Darkness Fubuki, I was so annoyed that they had Asuka going to the Red Dorm to protect Judai, yet they just have her sit there and have Judai hog all the glory. I thought to myself, "self, you can do better then this." And so I wrote this chapter.

Well, I hope that this chapter was worth the wait, please provide reviews so that I know if this chapter is made of win or fail.


	29. Chapter 29

Revealed, The True Purpose of Duel Academia!

"Good, you're awake Judai. That means that poor Fubuki here is the only one who's still asleep." Judai was in a bed in the nurse's office, and Asuka was standing just in front of Fubuki, who's whole face was now covered in thick gauze bandages. The nurse, Emi Ayukawa, tenderly ran her finger along Fubuki's jaw line. "Who could have possibly done something so horrible..." Judai felt that this was a ritual motion, done more then once. He also noticed that Fubuki's left arm was bandaged in a similar manner, concealing the gruesome damage that had been done to it. Then he looked over through the window, and saw Shou, Misawa, Manjoume, Hayako, Junko, and Momoe all standing there. Judai waved them over into the room, and they all rushed in, over the protests of the assisstant nurses. Shou was the first to make it through, and he rushed right up to Judai.

"Bro! We were so worried bro, we were beginning to think that you were never going to wake up." Judai widened his eyes in confusion, and looked over to Asuka, and while she was focused on her brother, she still responded to his obvious question.

"It's been a week since our duel with that shadow that possessed Fubuki. I only woke up a few minutes ago, so I don't know much more then you do, Judai."

"I see. So guys, has anything strange been happening?"

"Not unless you count Professor Chronos acting like he's got a split personality disorder." Manjoume said. "He keeps acting like he has something to tell us, but then he keeps denying that anythings going on."

"And its pretty clear from looking at you three that something did happen." Misawa then walked over to Asuka. "Asuka, you said something about a shadow posessing Fubuki. Could you please elaborate, or do you need more time to rest? Or do you need anything to eat or drink? I could..." Asuka turned to Misawa, a calm sad look in her eyes.

"Please, calm down Misawa. That shadow...it's not something that I really want to dwell on. It was...like some twisted, fun house mirror version of my brother. All torn apart and put back together all wrong." Everyone became quiet, and even Ayukawa was still; the thought of a...well, 'evil' Fubuki, it seemed unimaginable to them. Sure, there were the times where he'd play-act giving into darkness whenever he summoned the Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon, but that wasn't real. But this...

"Asuka," Momoe stepped forward, followed by Junko. "This guy, whoever he is, he's got hell to pay for what he did to you and Judai."

"That's right." Junko then moved in closer, whispering to Asuka. "And be sure to tell Judai thanks for me; I can tell that he was a big help for you." Junko stepped back, and Hayako took one of the remaining seats near Judai.

"I know that this probably isn't important, and you probably don't care at this point, but, I sent in my submission to Industrial Illusions. So, you know, maybe we'll have some good news, and maybe they'll make my card in time for it to help us out. I mean..." Judai put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a smile.

"Hey, I've seen your drawings, and there's no maybe about it! And I know that I'd love to see a card that you designed in action." The mood became lighter, and for a moment everyone was able to forget. But then Fubuki started groaning in pain, and all eyes were drawn to him. He didn't wake up though.

"All right everyone," Ayukawa said, now exerting her authority as head nurse, "I'm going to have to ask everyone but Judai and Asuka to leave. There are some questions of a...personal nature that I have to ask, and I'm sure that they'd like their privacy. Don't worry, you'll be called for again when needed." They were clearly reluctant, but Judai and Asuka's friends cooperated. Once gone, the nurse pointed Judai and Asuka to a pair of seats opposite hers, so that they could talk equally and comfortably.

"Miss Ayukawa, what is it that you wanted to ask us?" Asuka was uncertain; Ayukawa said her questions required privacy from the others, yet she could ask them both at the same time? Then, just then, Kuriboh and Winged Kuriboh appeared again, flying out of their decks to them, and Ayukawa saw the surprise that was plain on their faces.

"Well, first I'd like to ask you what you know about Duel Spirits?" Judai looked quizzically at Ayukawa.

"Wait, do you mean those things that Professor Daitokuji talked about in class before the tournament started? He said that, uh...he said..."

"Professor Daitokuji claimed that the Legendery Duelists were able to call upon the spirits of their monsters, to both aid them in dueling and elsewhere in life. According to him, Yuugi Mutou had the spirits of the Dark Magician, the Dark Magician Girl, and Kuriboh. Seto Kaiba had the spirit of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Katsuya Jounouchi had the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and Mai Kujaku had the Harpy Ladies. But, do you mean that you can see them?" Ayukawa smiled benificently.

"As it so happens, no, I can't see Duel Spirits. But those little guys showed up in my dream last night, and let me tell you that I was having a pretty nice dream before they showed up. I'd just given Fubuki a clean bill of health and I was about to...I shouldn't be talking about this with you two, should I?" Judai and Asuka shook their heads vigorously. "Yeah, that's what I thought. To get to what you'd like to hear, Kuriboh and Winged Kuriboh changed the scenery and showed me you two carrying Fubuki, and then they woke me up. I decided to go with that dream, and as it turned out, you were where they said you'd be, so they must have been real. So, I take it that they're here now? I mean, judging by how you're not quite looking directly at me I mean."

Judai and Asuka then realized, to no small amount of embarrassment, that they'd been watching the Kuriboh and Winged Kuriboh fly around in a manner resembling dancing, which was something of a dead give away.

"Well, they are, actually! So, if we have our own duel spirits now, does this mean that Asuka and I are going to be the next Legendery Duelists? Like, I'd be the Duel King and Asuka'd be the Duel Queen? Because that sounds awesome!" Asuka was not surprised at Judai's response to this event, and to be honest, there was a part to her that shared in Judai's joy. But there was a question that needed to be asked, and there was no sense in delaying.

"Miss Ayukawa, do you know why this has happened, to Judai and me, and what it means for us and Duel Academia?" Ayukawa shook her head.

"I'm afraid I don't. But I believe that Principal Samejima can provide the answers that you're looking for. Let me just call her up and...Fubuki! You're awake!" Fubuki began to stir, feeling at the bandages on his face with his left hand, and then he looked over at Judai, Asuka, and Ayukawa.

"Hey guys, you really came through for me, all of you." The three of them rushed to Fubuki's side and bombarded him with questions. "Woah, woah, one at a time. Come on Ayukawa, you know how bed-side manner works; I've faked sick to get out of class enough to know that you know, you know what I mean?" Ayukawa wiped a tear from her eye.

"Of course, Fubuki. You just relax, and I'll go call Principal Samejima. I'm certain she'll be wanting to hear everything you have to say, but until then, just relax." Ayukawa then left the room to make the call, and Fubuki looked over at Asuka, a sad smile visible beneath his bandages.

"I'm so sorry Asuka; it was bad enough that I'd let that happen to me, but...even with all the horrible things that I said and did, I couldn't stop myself." Asuka put her hand on his arm, his right arm.

"That wasn't you Fubuki, and you shouldn't blame yourself for it; you were possessed and...Fubuki?"

"Fubuki, is something wrong? Do you need pain medication?" Fubuki looked away from Judai and Asuka, shame visible in his eyes.

"I wish it were that simple, Judai, Asuka. I wish it were." For a long time, the three of them just sat there, silent, Fubuki refusing to look directly at them. At some point, Kuriboh and Winged Kuriboh returned to their cards. Then, Principal Samejima showed up, along with Shou and all the others.

"Hello Fubuki," Principal Samejima said in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. "I can see that you've been through a lot. Do you think...would you like to share with us what happened? You can refuse, and you're entirely within your rights to..."

"Fubuki." Kaiser Ryoko just arrived, her face weary with worry. "It's...good to know that you're alive, where we can protect you. Please, tell us everything you can. So we can find the one who did this to you, and destroy them." Fubuki chuckled, mirthlessly.

"All right Ryoko, I suppose I should talk. Well, I'll start at the beginning, that's the best place to start I suppose. It was the day of the tournament, and I was on my way to participate in the ceremonial match with Ryoko, when a young woman I'd not seen before appeared to me, and beckoned me to follow her. I checked the time, I decided I could afford the detour. But as I followed her, deeper and deeper into the woods, I realized that it was getting darker then could be accounted for by foliage and cloud cover. Then...it gets...fragmented. I remember it clearly enough, but I was only conscious in bursts of time. I think someone beat me in a duel, I don't think it was the girl. In fact, I don't think the girl was ever real, just a trick to lure me away from everyone while their attention was elsewhere. I was...tortured." The shame in Fubuki's eyes grew stronger, and he looked at Kaiser Ryoko. "Ryoko, do you remember the lessons that Professor Daitokuji was going over with us last month? About the inner darkness that all duelists possess, and how to resist that darkness?" She nodded. "I tried to remember those lessons, I tried to resist, but they just kept drawing it out. They took my darkness, and cultivated it, made it grow stronger, fed it upon itself, and planted it back into me." Then Fubuki looked Asuka in the eyes, tears beginning to run down his.

"Asuka, the monster you and Judai faced against, it was me. Somewhere deep in my soul, where I dare not look, they found the most horrible and twisted things about me and brought them to the surface, where I couldn't control them, couldn't stop them, couldn't! Couldn't!" Fubuki's breathing became rapid and shallow. Then he stopped, and reached for the bandages covering his face, and removed them. Everyone was shocked; it was most pronounced with Ayukawa and Manjoume, and even Kaiser Ryoko couldn't hide it. "They cut my face, many times, mocking my appearance. It was the final touch to break me, to make me lose all connection with myself, and lose control over my darkness. Then, they gave me the artifact." He then unwrapped the bandages on his left arm, revealing the vicious scarring there. "It allowed me, to tap into the greater darkness, the darkness in all our hearts, so long as it was attuned to my own darkness. Judai, Asuka, if you hadn't stopped me then, I would have consumed your souls, and the power of the artifact would have grown, capable of causing even more death and devastation. Then I came back to the island, out of that prison I was held in, and I, the part of me that was still me, tried to reach out to Asuka, to stop Judai from falling victim to my plan. But instead..." He stopped, clearly dreading reaching this part of the story, but he knew he couldn't stop.

"I assaulted my own sister! I took everything that she was afraid of, I used everything that I knew about her from being her brother, and I exploited it! If Judai hadn't been there for her, the things I would have done...that that monster was in me, it horrifies me, and I can still remember those feelings, and it sickens me. Everyone, I was just the first. The darkness that was cultivated in me escaped, along with the artifact, and its going to try and find someone else to use to grow. Please, don't let this happen again, not what happened to me, or what I almost did to Asuka. Please...don't hate...me..." Asuka then took hold of her brother, held him tightly, like he was dissapearing from her again.

"Its okay Fubuki. You don't need to worry anymore. That monster wasn't you; you are my brother, and I love you. Nothing will ever change that." The Tenjouins held each other, and when they let go, Fubuki seemed more himself again.

"Thank you, Asuka. I, I think I'd like to take a nap now; I've been asleep for a really long time now, and its made me pretty tired. So, do you think you could leave me with the beautiful nurse while you guys work out the battle strategy? Thanks, everyone." As everyone departed, Asuka happened to notice Ayukawa's blush, but decided that after everything that Fubuki had been put through, he could have this without any grief from her.

* * *

"First of all, I must apologize to you all. The truth is, is that we had suspected that something like this was behind Fubuki's disappearance, but we'd chosen not to say anything, because we thought that it would be best not to cause a panic. But instead, we almost lost the lives of two of our students. Judai, Asuka, forgive us." Everyone stared at Principal Samejima, save Kaiser Ryoko and the Professors. Asuka balled her hand into a fist, and did not trust her self to speak.

"Well," Judai started, wanting to ease the tension that filled the air, "You were trying to do what you thought was best, and things did work out, so yeah, I can forgive you." There was a collective sigh of relief from the faculty, most notably from Professor Chronos.

"All though I would have rather heard that from Asuka, the party most injured by this course, I will accept it from you. The fact of the matter is that I initially opposed this course of action, but was persuaded to go along with it. Then I began to think that I could handle the situation without getting any of the students involved, and...well, its obvious now that our enemy can target any of us, at any time, so my plan was doomed to failure from the outset." Then he turned to Professor Daitokuji. "Since this is your specialization, I believe it is time for you to tell these young students everything that you wanted kept in the dark from them." Professor Daitokuji became flustered, and even dropped Pharaoh, who ran off to get something to eat.

"Professor Chronos, you don't have to put it like that. I was only trying to think of the students' best interests, you know that." Then Professor Daitokuji turned to Judai, Asuka, and all the others. "Well, to begin with, you may recall my lectures concerning Duelist Kingdom and Battle City, and that I insisted that powerful occult forces were operating behind the scenes of those tournaments? Well, they were, and the Millennium Items possessed by Yuugi Mutou, Pegasus J. Crawford, Bakura Ryou, Malik Ishtar, and Isis Ishtar were the primary source of that power. And yes, Manjoume, I'm fully aware of Seto Kaiba's and Yuugi Mutou's public denial that these things were true, but those were deliberate measures; you see, six months after the Battle City Tournament, the Millennium Items were destroyed, lost forever. However, six months after that, a group led by the then new CEO of Industrial Illusions targeted Yuugi and his friends in an effort to recreate the Millennium Items." Many were gaping, though none so much as Manjoume.

"How...how can you know things like that? I have the resources of the Manjoume group available to me, and I never knew about any of this. What kind of connections do you have?"

"I'll have to agree with Manjoume." Misawa said, a definite skepticism in his eyes. "How exactly do you know these things, and why should we believe them? It does stretch the imagination to believe what you're telling us." That was when Professor Hibiki spoke up.

"To understand that, you have to understand the real reason why Duel Academia was established in the first place."

"The real reason?" Shou said quietly, looking over at his sister.

"Yes. You see, Seto Kaiba and Yuugi Mutou both realized that the dangers of the Shadow Games would never be truly gone. Now, as you all saw when Yuugi came here, he has a family of his own now, and we can't ask him and the other Legendary Duelists to always protect us. Therefore, Seto Kaiba decided to establish Duel Academia, in order to gather and train all those who had the potential to face those who would use the Shadow Games for their own purposes. For this reason, we have been entrusted with the truth behind Duel Monsters, and have been tasked with preparing you for the battles to come." There was a long silence, which was broken by Judai.

"You mean, we get to be heroes? Real heroes, saving the day and protecting our friends from danger? All right, it's like a dream come true!" Everyone stared at Judai, and then Junko and Momoe started to laugh.

"Judai, you just spent the last week in a coma, and you're asking for more?" Momoe said, the amusment in her voice plain and clear for all to hear.

"Well that settles it, there's no way we're going to let you show us up again!" Then Junko turned to the faculty. "While it would have been nice to know what we were getting ourselves into when we signed up, now that we're here, we're ready to kick butt! You with me Momoe?"

"You bet, Junko!" Before long, everyone, even Asuka and Hayako, there were all making declarations of battle. And then, a very rare thing indeed happened; Kaiser Ryoko smiled.

"Well, it sounds like whoever is behind this, is in for the fight of a life time. I can only hope that when all is said and done, that the mastermind is left to me; they will learn what comes of harming Fubuki."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'd like to say a few words regarding Fubuki. Now, I know that in the anime that he bounced right back from his time as "Darkness", or "Nightshroud" if you go by the dub, but this owes to two factors; one, "Darkness" was a wuss. The Terror of Death is not. Second, Fubuki in the anime was kept insulated from his own actions by way of the convenient memory gap that lasted around ten episodes. In this story, Fubuki is fully aware of what he did and the damage that was done to him is not something that he can so easilly brush off. Doesn't mean we'll never see the loveable goofball side ever again, just that it'll be tempered by what he's gone through. If anyone has any issues with this brief explanation, please let me know.


	30. Chapter 30

Underground Threat, Manjoume's Duel of Fate!

"So have you been able to go see Fubuki lately?" One Obelisk Blue boy said to an Obelisk Blue girl.

"No; he's still holed himself in the nurses office, and he won't let anyone but his sister or her friends to come visit him. I tried to convince Ayukawa to let me in anyway, said that I was a friend of a friend to Asuka, but she didn't buy it." The Obelisk Blue boy groaned in defeat.

"Well damn; I mean, how am I going to be able to comfort him and show him that he isn't ugly if he won't let anyone see him? I mean, I spend three years building up the courage to approach him, and now this happens. I swear, sometimes I have the worst luck ever..." At that point the two Obelisk Blue students walked out of earshot of Manjoume, which he considered to be a favor to him.

Manjoume, as it so happened, was in the main hall of the Obelisk Blue dorm; his room was undergoing renovation, which meant that he had to study out in the open, and while the hall was large, spacious, well ventilated, and in all other ways the epitome of accommodation, it still had the problem of being the thoroughfare for all Obelisk Blue students.

"So the way I understand it, is that Judai and Asuka can summon real monsters now." Said the Obelisk Blue girl to her fellow Obelisk Blue.

"No way, you can't be serious; if I could summon real monsters, you'd bet that I'd always have my Vampire monsters at my beck and call." The first girl rolled her eyes at the second, an action that was clearly not appreciated.

"Even during the day? And besides, maybe they're just reserving their powers for when they need them most. Or it could be..." Another conversation trailed off.

Manjoume understood perfectly well that when Chancellor Samejima made her anouncement three days ago concerning the true nature of Fubuki's disappearance and his subsequent rescue, that Judai, Asuka, and Fubuki would all become the topics of choice for general gossip and discussion among the students.

"Is it just me, or does that Judai kid have all the luck? First he beats Professor Chronos to get into Duel Academia, then Asuka lets him duel the Kaiser after she beat him, and now he rescued her brother, which pretty much guarantees that he's in." The Obelisk Blue boy's friend raised an eyebrow.

"You sure about that last part? Because the way I heard it was that Judai was getting in over his head and Asuka had to keep him from losing. Which makes a hell of a lot more sense if you ask me, since Judai is still only an Osiris Red, and Asuka is the queen of Obelisk Blue."

"You're both wrong." Interjected a first year Obelisk Blue girl. "Judai and Asuka had to come together, and work together in the spirit of harmony and true love to overcome the monster that possessed poor Fubuki." At that point, the now three member group had completed their trip up the stairs, and Manjoume was spared hearing any more.

To be blunt, the problem was that despite being plainly informed of the danger they were all in, precious few students seemed to be aware of it on a more then superficial level; to hear yet more others talk about it, you'd think that this was the set up for some cheesy shonen manga! Manjoume knew full well what it was like, to imagine yourself as a great hero fighting against a terrible evil, buy he also knew that the reality of it would not be so glamorous; the scars on Fubuki's face and left arm were more then enough to prove that, and the scars on his heart even more so.

"You know what I heard? I heard that Judai and Asuka-!"

"That's it!" Manjoume slammed his fist down on the table, and for a moment he was at the center of attention. "I don't need this! I'm going for a walk!" Shortly after marching out of the Obelisk Blue dorm, he saw Judai and Asuka; they were standing in the copse where they'd said they'd dueled the darkness that possessed Fubuki. Manjoume approached them, listening to the conversation already in motion.

* * *

"I'm telling you Asuka, there's got to be something to this spot; I mean, three of the most important duels of my life, and two of the most important in yours, took place right here, so that can't be a coincidence." Asuka sighed.

"It'd be nice to think that there was some sort of clue in this place, but it looks like any other part of the island, Judai. Still, I do appreciate that you're trying, and not just waiting for the enemy to attack again. I just think that we should work on coming up with new leads...Manjoume?" Judai then followed Asuka and turned towards Manjoume, who'd just crossed over into the boundary of the copse.

"You know, you two are lucky that no one knows to look here; if they did, the rumors would be even more intolerable then they are right now." Judai looked confused for a moment, but then he started looking off to the side, as though listening to someone who wasn't there.

"Woah, sorry buddy, but I don't get it." Then he turned to Asuka. "Winged Kuriboh kept showing me this weird symbol, but I have no idea what it means. Say Asuka, have you been able to understand Kuriboh yet?" Before Asuka could respond, Manjoume interrupted.

"Wait, are you telling me that you two really are talking to spirits now?" Manjoume couldn't help that his eyes had grown wide; after all, to think that this could be true...

"Well, they talk to us mostly, and neither of us can really understand them yet. But...hold on a second you...yeah, Kuriboh's showing me a weird symbol too. Maybe we should go over to the library and see if we can find it Judai?" Judai groaned, quite loudly.

"The library? Well, okay, but I want to bring snacks. No way I'll make it while in there otherwise." Asuka suppressed a small laughter.

"Ready to face a Shadow Game, but not a library? Oh well." Then she turned to Manjoume. "I know that we can trust you Manjoume, but will you promise not to tell people about this? I really don't want to have to deal with those rumors any more then I have to."

"Of course. Like I'd ever give those rumor hungry jackles cause to give you grief Asuka. You have my word." Asuka nodded, and departed with Judai. Manjoume stayed in the copse, trying to guess where Fubuki stood as his darkness dueled against Judai and Asuka. He then found his thoughts drifting to them; while it was clear that they were not romantically involved, despite the fact that the outcome of Fubuki's challenge from the start of the year had yet to be revoked, it was clear that their new abilities would put them above and apart from the common duelist. He then reflected on his duel with Asuka, and how she'd torn him a new one in an instant. This was then followed up by her duel with Judai, and while she won that one, it was a far more even and exhilarating match. And now this...

"Me, being left behind? Me, Jun Manjoume of the Manjoume group, is being left behind?" He wandered away from the copse, deeper into the woods, dwelling on these events; it wasn't by any measure that he was jealous of either of them, but if things kept us as they were, he would never be in a position to challenge either of them ever again. And if that happened, he would never be able to fulfill his dreams, and his brothers would have confirmation of everything they needed to know that he was a failure. No, Manjoume would not let that happen, and if he had to go seek out the bastards who tortured Fubuki to rise up again, then he would!"

"Hey, you, over there!" Manjoume then looked in the direction of the voice, and saw a woman, a beautiful woman that he didn't recognize, wearing an elaborate robe that outlined her figure. "Why don't you follow me? I'll bet you'd like that, wouldn't you?" She said in a husky voice as she turned around, swaying her hips more then was strictly necessary. Manjoume was confused for a moment, but then remembered what Fubuki had said concerning the events leading to his disappearance. He smiled in a predatory manner.

"Heh, all right. But, don't think your little tricks will work on me. And I will avenge Fubuki, and stand on the same level as Judai and Asuka." Manjoume followed after the woman, hoping that once he emerged victorious that the spirit of the Light and Darkness Dragon would start to speak to him.

* * *

"You know, I have to admit, I didn't think that you'd be devouring Symbology texts like this." Asuka said, a bemused expression on her face as she rested it on her hand, held up by her shoulder against the table. Judai looked up from his current text, the sixth out of eight that Asuka had assigned to him. She was only on the fourth that she'd assigned to herself.

"Well, its like looking at a catalog of Duel Monsters cards, except no stats or anything like that. Since all we need is to find the symbol that Winged Kuriboh and Kuriboh showed us earlier, I can just skip over the text and focus on the pictures, and I have to tell you, I've found some pretty cool ones. Not the one we're looking for, but don't be surprised if I come back here when all this is over with." As Asuka smiled, nodded, and resumed her own efforts, this exchange was noted by Misawa, to both his amusement and otherwise.

* * *

"Well Manjoume, we're here now; what do you think? Too elaborate, or just right?" Manjoume looked upon the area indicated by the woman; it was hidden inside a cave that seemed to have been dug out recently, and in it were paraphernalia from virtually every occult tradition known to man.

"Actually, it's a bit much. You should have chosen one motif and stuck with it. But more importantly, you are the one who lured Fubuki away and put him and his sister through the nightmare they went through, yes? And that's how you know my name too, isn't it? It figures that you would make me your next target, since I am destined to be the next Duel King!"

"You know kid, you talk too much. If you don't get into the cave now, then this duel isn't going to happen, and you won't be able to get what you want." The woman said with a small laugh, which Manjoume ignored, focusing his thoughts on the spirit that he was sure to aquire soon enough. "By the way, you may call me Lady Thorn; its only a matter of temporary convenience, since you won't be around to use it after this duel. I go first!" Lady Thorn then unfurled her robe, revealing that her Duel Disk was a, well, thorny looking thing, like it could prick you if you weren't careful with it. "I'll start by summoning Violet Witch in attack mode." A woman in a violet robe, with large green leaves overlaying the shoulders, appeared, wielding a staff that looked to have been a branch from a particularly large tree, and possessing 1100 attack points. "Now I set one card, and end my turn. Your move, Manjoume."

"That's fine by me!" Manjoume noticed that the interior of the cave seemed to get darker, which again reminded him of what Fubuki had said. He also knew that the Violet Witch was too weak to win against damn near any monster that he had in his deck, so the danger lied in the face down card on her field; fortunately, he had just the dragon for the occasion. "Now I summon Mirage Dragon!" As the golden, serpentine dragon appeared, its body phasing in and out of being, a pair of manacles suddenly shot out of the ground and clamped onto Manjoume's legs.

"That's in case you change your mind and try to run. I mean, you don't look like the kind of guy who'd run, but you never know. Now, were you planning on attacking?"

"Of course, and what's more, Mirage Dragon's effect prevents you from activating a trap card during the battle phase, which means that your Violet Witch is ripe for the picking; Mirage Dragon, attack!" Mirage Dragon extended its form and bit down on Violet Witch, destroying her for 500 points of damage. Then, a small amount of energy crackled from the walls of the cave and struck Lady Thorn, but she didn't seem to mind.

"That was pretty good kid, but the trap was incidental; you see, when Violet Witch is destroyed by battle, I can add a plant monster with fifteen hundred defense or less from my deck to my hand. I add the Lonefire Blossom to my hand. Tell me, Manjoume, how did you like getting in the first blow? And how will you like it when you get yours?"

"Heh, as though that will happen. It's clear to me that you are only a servant of the one who defeated Fubuki, and I will show you that none but the very best can hope to stand against me! I set two cards, and end my turn." Lady Thorn smiled in response.

"So confident; you've won quite a few tournaments, but do you imagine that the opponents you faced as a child were a valid measure of your opposition in the future? Judai and Asuka haven't allowed their past glories to cloud their future, and they're already much further ahead of you, and the gap will only continue to grow, the difference between a rose and a rosewood. Now I summon the Botannical Girl in attack mode." Botanical girl was a slender, shapely woman dressed like the leaves of a rose with 1300 attack points. "Now I set one card, and end my turn." Manjoume couldn't help himself, he had to laugh.

"Are you a fool? That's what you did the last turn, and it won't work for you now any better then it did then; First I activate my trap card, Descending Dragon, allowing me to special summon a level four or lower dragon from my hand, and I special summon Dark Sprite Dragons! Furthermore, Dark Sprite Dragons counts as two monsters for the sacrifice summon of a dark dragon, so I sacrifice them to summon Dark End Dragon!" As the mighty demonic dragon descended onto the field, Lady Thorn smiled benignly.

"Ah, and now he brings out the big guns; Manjoume, you need to learn patience. After all, isn't this sort of rush what cost you your duel with Asuka?"

"Shut up!" Manjoume yelled as he thrust his arm out. "That duel...I will not be made to feel ashamed of it, not by the likes of you! Dark End Dragon, use Dark Evaporation to wipe out Botanical Girl."

"And once again, you are so impatient; I now activate my trap card, Plant Food Chain, and equip it to Botanical Girl. Now, while her attack power will be raised by five hundred points, I think its the second effect you will find more interesting." The vicious mouth on Dark End Dragon's stomach opened up, unleashing a deadly cloud of darkness that consumed Botanical Girl. However, as the light returned, Botanical Girl grew back up from the ground in defense mode. "Yes, when Plant Food Chain is sent to the grave, I can special summon one plant monster back from my grave. Furthermore, when Botanical Girl was sent from the field to the grave, I used her effect to add a plant monster with one thousand defense or less from my deck to my hand; I chose Griggle."

"Whatever! You can add all the weak monsters you want to your hand, but they won't measure up to the dragons on my field! Mirage Dragon, destroy Botanical Girl again, so that Dark End Dragon may attack directly!" Manjoume's dragons struck fast and hard, and at the end of it Lady Thorn had only 1400 life points left. "You were able to prolong this duel a little longer, but next turn it will be over!" As the energy of the cave washed over Lady Thorn, she looked at Manjoume with pleasure in her eyes.

"Next turn? Oh no, this duel is far from over, Manjoume. You see, I now have gathered all the pieces, and you will see what a well nourished, fully grown strategy looks like; first I play Seed of Deception, allowing me to special summon a level two or lower plant monster from my hand, and I special summon Griggle." A tiny little turnip in blue boots appeared.

"What a weak monster; please tell me that's just sacrifice fodder for the real show."

"Oh Manjoume, you've got so much to learn. Now I play the spell card, Creature Swap; we each choose a monster on our side of the field, and give control of that monster to our opponent. I will give you my Griggle."

"And I'll let you have Mirage Dragon, for all the good he'll do you once my Dark End gets through with him." As the monsters crossed to each other's fields, a blue glow surrounded Lady Thorn and her life points began to rise higher at a rapid rate.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that when control of Griggle shifts to the opponent, I recover three thousand life points? I think I did. Now I'm going to play Fragrance Storm; it allows me to destroy one plant monster on the field, and then draw a card, and if that card is a plant monster, I can show it to you to draw another card." A hurricane of petals tore through Griggle, instantly destroying it. "Let's see now...yes, I'll show you the Lord Poison I just drew to draw another card. Now to take care of Dark End Dragon; can't have him destroying my monsters with that effect of his, now can I?"

"You're bluffing! There's no way you have a monster in your hand that can destroy Dark End." Lady Thorn laughed, high and harsh.

"You know something; you're right! I don't have a monster in my hand that can defeat Dark End Dragon, but I do have one in my deck. I now summon Lonefire Blossom, and activate its effect, sacrificing a plant monster on my side of the field to special summon a plant from my deck to the field." A viney plant with a bud like a bomb grew and then exploded, and once the smoke was clear, a massive swamp plant appeared, with a vicious maw and preying mantis claws protruding from its body at random points, and most of all, 2400 attack points. "Gigaplant, destroy Dark End Dragon, so that my Mirage Dragon can attack directly. And don't forget Manjoume, since Mirage Dragon is on my side of the field now, you can't activate your traps during the battle phase." As Gigaplant tore into Dark End Dragon, Mirage Dragon tore straight into Manjoume, relasing the energy of the cave onto him, sending him to his knees as the pain wracked his body, reducing his life points to 2100. "Oh, and I'll set one card to end my turn. Well Manjoume, do you think you can get up? Or are you too rich and pampered to handle a little pain?"

Manjoume seethed as he struggled to recover his breath. "I don't know who's been feeding you information about me..." Manjoume got up on his feet, his legs tender where the shackles held him. "But if they said I was pampered, then I know that they're full of it." He flashed a cocky grin at her. "I could go into the details, but I don't see the point; I know where I come from, and trust me, living my life has made me strong. I don't need you or anyone else to confirm it for me. And now, to demonstrate this fact, I summon the Masked Dragon in defense mode, set one card, and end my turn."

"Heh, is that the best you could come up with, after that blustering? Its a little too late for you to build up your strength, or to set up delaying measures; I now perform a second summon, unlocking Gigaplant's true power!" Gigaplant then lowered itself, and began to dig its claws into the ground. "Once per turn, Gigaplant can special summon a plant or insect monster from my grave, and in anticipation of this, I play Card of Safe Return, allowing me to draw card every time a monster is special summoned from my grave. Return, Lonefire Blossom!" The firebomb plant broke out through the soil, twisting and swaying as it established its roots. "And now look what I just drew; Inferno Reckless Summon! Since I just special summoned a monster with less then fifteen hundred attack points, and you have a monster on your side of the field, I can now special summon all the Lonfire Blossoms from my deck to the field, and you may do the same with your Masked Dragons." A haze of heat descended on the field as the monsters rushed onto the field, the Masked Dragons assuming a defensive formation while the Lonefire Blossoms prepared for the offensive.

"Start slow and finish fast, that sure looks like your strategy; but you should only have two more Gigaplants in your deck, so that third Lonefire Blossom's going to go to waste."

"No, boy. The Gigaplant is only the precursor to the true monster that will defeat you; I sacrifice two Lonefire Blossoms to special summon two Gigaplant's from my deck, and I sacrifice my last Lonefire Blossom to special summon Tytannial the Princess of Camellias!" As two more Gigaplants burst out of the ground, a giant rose bud emerged between them, and all of Lady Thorn's monsters gathered around it as it bloomed, Tytannial, a regal looking woman, emerging from within it. "Now, let's start this round off with Mirage Dragon and two of my Gigaplants destroying your Masked Dragons. Choose carefully Manjoume, the monsters you summon might be your last." Mirage Dragon and the two Gigaplants slammed down on Manjoume's Masked Dragons, and as the dust settled, his field now had three new monsters; the Bomb-Mine Dragon, the Divine Dragon Excelion, and the Twin-Headed Behemoth. "Hmm, an interesting line up; Divine Dragon Excelion is nothing special, but Bomb-Mine dragon will destroy one monster of your choice when I destroy it, and Twin-Headed Behemoth will be special summoned back to the field at the End Phase if I destroy it. Therefore, my final Gigaplant will destroy Excelion and that will be the end of my battle phase." The serpentine dragon was torn apart, but the other two were left alone.

"Are you sure about that? After all, you could have destroyed Bomb-Mine with Tytannial, and brought her back on your next turn with one of your Gigaplants." Lady Thorn smiled down at Manjoume.

"Not all monsters are created equal, Manjoume, and the queen is not to be sacrificed recklessly, not for even a minute. I end my turn."

"You know, I can understand that, but you should have been willing to make that sacrifice anyway. I now sacrifice Bomb-Mine Dragon and Twin-Headed Behemoth to summon Light-End Dragon! And now I attack the Mirage Dragon that you stole from me, and reduce his attack by fifteen hundred at the cost five hundred attack points!" There was a brilliant solar flare that caused Mirage Dragon to writhe, and then Light-End Dragon breathed out a concentrated beam of light that tore through Mirage Dragon for 2000 points of damage. However, once more a warm blue light surrounded Lady Thorn, and even clung to her beyond its initial appearance, restoring her life points to 5400.

"Do you like it, Manjoume? It's Aegis of Gaia, and so long as its on the field, I have an additional three thousand life points. And in your haste to do as much damage as possible, you've left your Light-End quite vulnerable indeed."

"Don't count it out yet; I can use its effect for as long as I'm able, and I'll not let you have an easy time destroying it. I set one card, and end my turn."

"My turn." Lady Thorn smiled to herself; in having gotten rid off Mirage Dragon, Manjoume freed up the use of trap cards for his side of the field. At least, that's what he thinks. "I start by activating my first Gigaplant's effect to special summon a Lonefire Blossom from my grave, and with Card of Safe Return I draw another card. Next I sacrifice Lonefire Blossom to special summon Rigorous Reaver from my deck." A grim-reaper like figure made of wood and carrying a bloody scythe, Rigorous Reaver was clearly more dangerous then its 1600 attack points would have indicated. "Now, I'll begin the battle phase by having my first Gigaplant attack your Light End Dragon." Light-End's solar flare shined once more, causing Gigaplant to wilt, allowing Light-End Dragon to destroy it for 700 points of damage. "Next, I'll have Rigorous Reaver do the same."

"Hah, are you mad? Rigorous Reaver...!" Light-End Dragon destroyed Rigorous Reaver for 1000 points of damage as its effect diminished the otherwise equal monster, but with its dying breath Rigorous Reaver tossed its scythe at Light-End's neck, paining the dragon intensely.

"Ah, so you remember, but too late and too irrelevant; when Rigorous Reaver is destroyed by battle, I can reduce your monster's attack power by five hundred points, which means that even with its effect, it won't survive against my next Gigaplant. Attack!" Light-End roared, but was too diminished to fight back, and was destroyed for 800 points of damage.

"It came a little earlier then expected, but I knew that Light-End would have to sacrifice its life, and I will honor that sacrifice with my victory! I now activate Bond of Dragon's to special summon Light-Sprite Dragons from my deck in defense mode." However, the Bond of Dragon's card began to crack as the second Gigaplant began to return to the earth. Manjoume then heard the song that Tytannial was singing.

"And now you see Tytannial's effect; when you attempt to activate a spell or trap card, I can have Tytannial sacrifice a plant monster on my side of the field to negate and destroy it. Consider it, Manjoume; with Gigaplant I can special summon as many plant's as I need from the grave, Card of Safe Return restores my hand, and Tytannial ensures that you will never activate any spells or traps that could summon a monster strong enough to defeat me. Its the ultimate combo."

"Heh. It would be...If not for my other trap card, Curse of Royal!" Tytannial then began to writhe, and returned to the earth with Gigaplant. "With this card, I can negate an effect that would destroy a spell or trap card, and destroy that card instead. Now it would seem that your ultimate combo, isn't quite."

"Well, so it would seem. You're pretty damn good kid, but can you keep it up? Now, since your Light Sprite Dragons can't be destroyed by battle, I'll end my battle phase, and second summon my remaining Gigaplant to activate his effect, and special summon another Gigaplant from my grave! And with this special summon, I draw a new card. I then set two cards, to end my turn. But, the moment your turn starts, I activate my trap cards, Ivy Shackle and Bamboo Scrap; Ivy Shackle turns your monster into a plant type, and Bamboo Scrap lets me sacrifice it to special summon two bamboo tokens to your side of the field. There, now you have no more invincible defense, and next turn I'll tear right through you."

"That would be true, if not for the card I just drew; I sacrifice my two Bamboo Scrap tokens to summon my greatest monster, the one and only Light and Darkness Dragon!" Twin spiraling energies of light and darkness emerged from the remains of the tokens, and joined together in the form of the Light and Darkness Dragon. "Now, Light and Darkness, destroy the first Gigaplant, Dark Baptism!" Light and Darkness Dragon roared, unleashing a furious dark energy that tore through Gigaplant and struck Lady Thorn head on for 400 points of damage.

"And now it's my turn again; I now second summon my Gigaplant, and activate its effect to special summon another Gigaplant back from my grave." A crackling energy then leapt from Light and Darkness Dragon to the spot where the second Gigaplant should have emerged, preventing it from emerging.

"And now you see Light and Darkness's effect; at the cost of five hundred attack points, Light and Darkness will negate any spell, trap, or monster effect on the field. Nice try." Lady Thorn smiled back at Manjoume.

"Indeed it was, since now your Light and Darkness Dragon is one hundred attack points weaker then my Gigaplant. Why, it's as though I was planning for that...which just so happens to be the case! Gigaplant, destroy Light and Darkness Dragon!" The hideous plant monster reared up and dragged Light and Darkness Dragon down to destroy it. However, as its remains vanished, a small light began to grow.

"And now I activate Light and Darkness Dragon's other effect, destroying all other cards I control to special summon Dark End-Dragon from the grave. Return to me, Dragon of Darkness!" As Manjoume's only remaining card was destroyed, the Dark End Dragon returned and roared with both mouths.

"Well look at that, that thing again. Well, I'll set one card, and end my turn."

"And now I'll play the spell card, Blessing of Light and Darkness; when I have a light and dark monster of the same level in my grave, I can draw three cards, and Light and Darkness Dragon fulfills that condition by herself. Next I play Redemption Between Light and Darkness, removing a light and a dark monster of the same level from play in my grave to special summon a light or dark monster from my grave; once again, Light and Darkness Dragon fulfills the conditions, and I remove her to special summon Light End Dragon from my grave." Now both halves of the same whole were side by side, ready for battle. "Next I use Dark-End Dragon's effect, and destroy your Gigaplant, and without any monsters to protect you, I attack directly to win!"

"Not quite, boy! I activate my trap card, Negate Attack!" Both dragon's attacks were absorbed and dispelled away from Manjoume.

"Well, then I have no choice but to set one card, and end my turn."

"So it would seem, Manjoume. You know, you've lasted pretty long against me. But...I now play Miracle Fertilizer; so long as its on the field, I can forego a normal summon to special summon a plant monster from my grave, and I return Tytannial to the field. Next, I set the card I drew with Card of Safe Return, and attack your Dark-End Dragon for seven hundred points of damage!" Manjoume was knocked back by the sudden pain, but stood his ground.

"That's perfect! Now I activate my trap card, Damage Condenser, allowing me to special summon a monster from my deck whose attack is equal to or less then the damage I just took, and I special summon the Wish Dragon." Lady Thorn smiled inwardly; even if Manjoume did use that thing's effect to summon another high level dragon, the moment he attacked she would activate her Sinister Seeds and Death by Pollen to destroy all his monsters, clearing the way for her victory.

"Well then, if you're so confident, why don't you take your turn?"

"I will, but first, before I win, you tell me everything, you got it!"

"Okay...but you do have to win, you understand that, right?"

"That's good, because I have everything I need; first I activate Wish Dragon's effect to special summon two wish tokens, and then I play Dragon's Devil Eyes; for every dragon I have on the field, I can destroy a spell or trap card on yours; I now destroy both of your face-down cards, as well as Aegis of Gaia." Lady Thorn became wide-eyed as the glowing barrier of life faded around her. "Now, Light End Dragon, attack and use your effect to destroy Tytannial!" Tytannial wilted under the assault, and Lady Thorn shook as the energy flowed through her body once more as the duel ended. Manjoume shackles released themselves, and then he ran up to her and grabbed her by her collar. "Now talk; who do you work for, and why did you target Fubuki? Answer me." Lady Thorn looked up at Manjoume with a smirk on her face.

"Not a very good winner, are you?"

"Shut up and answer me! Who tortured Fubuki, and how do I find them?" Lady Thorn then pushed Manjoume away with a surprising strength.

"You sure are worried about this Fubuki guy; I'm sorry to tell you this kid, but I don't know a damn thing about Fubuki at all. But I can tell you who hired me to come here and duel you. Care to guess?"

"Wait...you were hired to duel me? But...I thought..." Lady Thorn sighed.

"Yeah, your brothers, Shouji and Chosaku, they wanted me to act like I'm involved in whatever the hell it is is going on on this island. They wanted me to freak you so bad that you'd stop dueling and go back home to work for them."

"What! How could they...actually, this is exactly the kind of stunt they'd pull. So, who are you then anyway? I don't recognize you from the roster of the current Pro Duelists."

"That's because I'm not a Pro Duelist. At least, not an official one anyway. Have you ever heard of the Underground League? Heh, no need to answer, the boggled look in your eyes says it all. This kind of set-up is pretty pedestrian as far as an underground duel goes, but I didn't want to make it too rough for you. Well, I'm going to be taking off now, but Manjoume? When you get done with this place, look up this number," Lady Thorn then tossed a business card to Manjoume, "And I'll be sure to arrange a chance for you to enter where the real challenges are. Until then!" Manjoume looked down at the card, and noticed that beside "Lady Thorn" was "Misao."

"Her real name...Ah well, so it wasn't a real Shadow Duel...but it was a great challenge, and I'll be more then ready for the real thing!"

* * *


	31. Chapter 31

The Mirage of Deceit, Duel in the Landscape of Illusions

"Asuka...oh Asuka...where did you go Asuka? Are you playing hide and seek on me? Oh, what a fun little thing you are! Come out, come out, wherever you are...there you are!" Kazuki Aoyama then leaped out in front of a girl, who aside from being a first year Obelisk Blue, had nothing else in common with Asuka Tenjouin.

"What? Dude, what are you talking about? I'm not Asuka, I'm Aiko. Do you have some sort of vision problem?" Aiko stepped back as Kazuki advanced upon her; in her eyes, he seemed to be growing much larger, blotting out all else in her sight.

"Oh Asuka, such a silly game that you're trying to play. Tut tut, my dear. Just rest your pretty little head, and lets resolve this long overdue matter in a duel. Don't worry, the Mirage of Deceit won't allow this to take long."

It didn't. Upon winning, Kazuki stood there, in the hills by the volcano, blinking.

"Oh, she's gone. I wonder where she went? Oh Asuka, where are you? Asuka? Come out, its time for you to be with me, Asuka..." He said as he walked away from where Aiko once stood. There was now only a statue, embedded halfway into the ground itself. Then the face began to shift, but stopped shortly after it started.

* * *

"Aiko? That's strange, that means that she's been absent for a week now. Does anyone know if something has happened with her?" Professor Hibiki, although asking everyone, focused her question to Judai and his circle of friends; after all, even though things had been quiet for the past two weeks she knew that their unknown enemy would strike again, and that the odds of this absence being somehow connected were disturbingly high...

"Professor Hibiki," Daichi Misawa called out, waiting to make sure that he had the floor before resuming speaking. "Perhaps if we were allowed to go over her attendence and dueling records, then perhaps we can find a pattern. Do you think this would be a worthwhile approach?"

"Well, given the surrounding events, I belief that we can afford to make this exception. I hope I can trust you not to exploit this, right Misawa?"

"Of course not, Professor Hibiki, you have my word."

With that, the class resumed, and by the end, Judai and the others had enough homework to keep their minds grounded. Or at least they would have, if not for a second year Osiris Red boy who came running into the class room, screaming his head off. Professor Hibiki then marched up to him and spoke sternly.

"Young man, calm yourself. What is the matter?" The young man gaped several times, and finally found his voice.

"It's, it's Aiko...I think I've found Aiko, but...I, I..." It was now clear that the boy was on the brink of a nervous breakdown, and so Professor Hibiki found herself softening her voice. She put her arms on his shoulders, letting him take comfort in that contact.

"If you have found her, then you need to tell us. You shouldn't be afraid to tell us anything, Akio." This seemed to have the desired effect, and the young man ceased shaking.

"Thanks, Professor Hibiki, I knew you'd understand. You're Aiko's favorite teacher, you know? That's why I came to you first...can we go now, before I lose my nerve?" Professor Hibiki nodded as she let go of Akio.

"Of course." Professor Hibiki then pressed a few choice keys on her PDA. "Everyone, you now have your assignments. Please work on them, and consider today's class a study hall session." As she was about to leave, she noticed that Judai and his friends stood up. Asuka was the one who spoke.

"Professor, I think we'd better come with you. If this is connected to what happened to my brother, then we should be ready for anything." Professor Hibiki nodded, and so the other members of the class were left wondering, and forming rumors anew.

* * *

"My god, what is this?" Junko dropped to her knees after they found what Akio had found, and Momoe could not blame her friend. There was what appeared to be a statue that had sunk into the hilly ground, but it was clear to even the uninitiated that this wasn't even vaguely normal; every so often, the statue's features would shift, usually in position, but occasionally adding or removing new features. It was clear that this had been going on for some time, but it could still be recognized as Aiko, still recognized as human.

"I, I heard about what had happened with Fubuki...and I thought that maybe this might be connected, but its just so weird. Who could do this to Aiko? Why would anyone do this to Aiko?"

"Akio." Everyone then focused in the direction of the voice, and the statue's lips were now forming the _o_ sound.

"Aiko!" Akio then rushed up to the statue and was about to embrace it, but Misawa grabbed him by the collar, stopping him short.

"If you lose your head now, there's no telling what might happen; for all we know, this could be a trap, and touching this...thing could lead to becoming just like it." Akio then shoved himself away from Misawa and started glaring at him.

"Maybe you can't understand my pain Misawa, but that's my younger sister! I won't be told that my feelings are wrong by someone like you, who doesn't have anyone they have to protect!" Still, Akio didn't try again, even when the statues eyes moved to follow him. Then Judai and Asuka began to look away in a random direction, looking as though they were listening intently

"Judai, Asuka," Professor Hibiki said, her voice laced with concern, "Are your Duel Spirits trying to communicate with you?" Judai then turned to Hibiki, still listening out of the corner of his ear.

"I think so. Winged Kuriboh keeps showing me this weird symbol that Asuka and I couldn't find in any of the library books. We think it might be connected to whoever's behind all this." Asuka then joined in.

"And Kuriboh keeps showing me my brother, my brother attacking someone, someone I don't even know. I think this person is just a bystander who was caught up in all this. I don't think it'll be dangerous to try to move her." Akio took this as permission, and ran to his sister. In fact, the moment he took hold of her, her form seemed to become more stable, which was good, since she was on the verge of growing scales.

"Don't worry sis, I'll get whoever did this to you, and I'll make them pay, I promise." As Misawa looked upon them, he sighed, but held back from saying his thoughts; he knew that if he told Akio that he was too unstable to be of much help, it would only inspire him to even more rash action, and then there would be another victim. Misawa did not want that on his concious, and so kept still his tounge, and redoubled his resolve to find some clue to the assailant's identity before he could strike again.

"Don't think that you're alone in this, Akio." Manjoume then grabbed Akio's shoulder in a supportive manner. "Trust me, we all want a piece of this jerk, but I'll make sure that there's enough left for you to deal with when we're through with him."

"Huh, you know Manjoume, if you pull through on this, you'd really be something. Just make sure you don't try to keep me out of the loop, okay?" Manjoume nodded, and the group started to extract the statue-Aiko from her earthbound prison and started carrying her down to the Nurse's office, where she could be monitored more closely. Though to what effect, none could say.

* * *

"Misawa, Misawa wake up, there's something we need to show you." Misawa rubbed his eyes; it was, after all, the middle of the night. He opened his door to find that Junko and Momoe had their PDA's out, each reading the same message.

"I think I've found a clue, and I'd like you to come with me to look into it. Better to move in group, so that we can watch each other's backs. The location I want to meet you at is attached below. Yours, Akio." Misawa took a moment to collect himself; he had been enjoying the dream he was having, a personal matter that did not deserve delving into. "Well, I suppose we should be thankful that he didn't rush off alone." Momoe however, had a stern countenance that seemed to disagree with Misawa's assessment. "I assume somethings wrong, Momoe?" She nodded.

"Junko and I backtracked the message, and two things; one, this message was only sent to us, Hayako, and Asuka. Oh, and before you ask, we sent a message to Hayako and Asuka so that they didn't run off blind."

"And second, the IP address of the sender isn't Akio's." Junko said, still shaken from the sight of Aiko, who was now 'resting' in the infirmiry. "We were hoping that since Professor Hibiki gave you the pass to the student database, that you could help us figure out who really sent this message."

"Junko, that's well outside the bounds of what Professor Hibiki gave to me."

"Misawa, this could be all the difference between walking into a trap blind-folded, and being ready with a counter-trap of our own. Come on, it's not like its that big of a deal anyway." Misawa sighed and folded, and began going over countless files. It didn't take long for him to find the one he was looking for, though he didn't anticipate slamming his fist down onto his desk in response to it.

"Aoyama...Damn it, is he part of this too? Momoe, Junko, contact everyone. We need to stop Kazuki before he can attack again.

After a few quick calls, everyone was gathered together, and while Judai, Shou, and Manjoume were quite tired, the girls seemed to be fully awake.

"So Misawa," Hayako said, "I assume that you've got a plan, right? Because I don't think that just throwing our bodies at this Kazuki guy will do much good." Misawa nodded.

"No, it wouldn't. What we're going to do is simple; we know the spot that Kazuki is waiting for us at, so we will systematically move to surround that very spot to deny him any chance to either escape or to summon aide from whatever allies that he may possess. If anyone does show up, you guys will have to hold them off, but I have every confidence in all of our abilities. In any event, I will then try to confront him and get as much information out of him as possible, and if he turns hostile, then I'll take care of him myself. I've done it before, and I'll do it again."

* * *

"Oh Misawa, thank for delivering Asuka to me. And also for Asuka, and Asuka as well. And you even brought Asuka! Really, I could almost forgive you, Misawa." The location that Kazuki had chosen was the power station for Duel Academia; it was normally off limits to anyone but the technical personnel, but Kazuki clearly didn't concern himself with limits like that. Misawa looked down at Kazuki's feet to find that Akio had fallen to the same fate that had claimed his sister; most unfortunate, but if they could undo the damage done to Aiko, then they could restore Akio too. Then he looked around and saw that everyone was in position. Good, all according to plan. But, why did he keep repeating Asuka's name? Had he become that obsessed with her? Misawa couldn't dare let him anywhere near Asuka!

"Kazuki Aoyama, there's no point to us dueling; we both know that I can counter your Phantom-Beast deck perfectly, and anyone you planned on calling for help will be immediately dealt with by the others." Kazuki cocked his head, and started giggling.

"Oh, you're funny Misawa. Others? What others? Because the only one's here are you, me, Asuka, Asuka, Asuka, and Asuka!" At each instance that Kazuki spoke Asuka's name, he pointed to each of the girls. "There's no one else here at all!" Then, quite suddenly, Judai Manjoume and Shou all vanished, seemingly into the ether itself. "Oh, and if you think that I'm the same as before, then you should reconsider. After all, any fool who has fallen into the trap of the Mirage of Deceit as thoroughly as you has no right to be so arrogant." Kazuki's features then changed, blood flowing freely from his eyes as a strange golden mask appeared on his face; in many ways, it resembled the unearthly changes that had struck Aiko's face. Misawa also noticed that his Duel Disk had become phantasmal, phasing in and out of being.

"So you really have given yourself over to the enemy then. Who is it? Who's trying to revive the Shadow Games and why? Answer me, Kazuki!" Kazuki cocked his head in the other direction, and the girls then phased through to the inside of the Power station boundary, and found that they could no longer move from where they stood, though they could turn to face Kazuki.

"The enemy? I've no idea who you mean, Misawa. I have simply awakened to my potential, my true nature as the Mirage of Deceit that will allow me to win the battle for Asuka's mind heart and soul. Now, to clear away the only obstacle that stands between me and my eternal happiness...let's duel Misawa!"

* * *

"Guys, hey guys are you okay?" One moment Judai had been standing guard where Misawa had assigned him, the next everything turned pitch black. If it hadn't been for Winged Kuriboh showing up to shine a light on the situation, Judai didn't think that he'd ever find Shou or Manjoume.

"Bro, what happened? Where are you, and where are we? Is this like what that darkness that possessed Fubuki did when he dueled you and Asuka?" Judai shook his head, then turned away a moment to listen to Winged Kuriboh before turning back to Shou and Manjoume.

"No, I think this darkness, its inside our eyes or heads or something. Winged Kuriboh is letting me see, but just barely enough to find you guys."

"So what you're saying," Manjoume said, a distinct tone of helplessness in his voice, "is that there's nothing we can do except wait for Misawa to defeat that Kazuki guy then?" Judai smiled in response, an act that Shou and Manjoume could sense despite the fact that they still couldn't see him.

"Yep, so we've got nothing to worry about!"

* * *

"Oh, is that all you're going to do, Misawa?" Ittan Momen in defense mode? My my, this is nothing like before. You better hurry up, or else I'll be taking Asuka, Asuka, Asuka, and Asuka all for myself!" Kazuki...no, the creature that now wore his skin, giggled incessantly, a trait that Misawa found most infuriating. Misawa took a quick look at the girls, and saw that while they were still trapped, they were still trying to find anyway to escape their invisible bonds. Hopefully they would be able to escape before too long...

"If you really are so confident, then answer me this question; why is your grasp on reality so weak? It's obvious to look at you to see that you're not all there."

"Heh heh heh, Misawa, you have it backwards; it is reality that has a poor grip on me, and I will demonstrate with the Field Spell card, Landscape of Illusions!" At once, everything became warped, as though all the laws of perspective were cast out; objects did not change in apparent size with distance, lines did not join at the horizon, sight itself became a cacophony of madness. "Now I'll play Fusion, sending Crumbling Lion and Raging Claw from my hand to the grave to summon Chimera the Galloping Beast!"

It was hard to say how large the creature was, given the mad properties of the field they were in, but it was clearly a massive beast to be certain, and the Chimera seemed to be a cross of a horse and a lion, swift and vicious with 2200 attack points. "Now, Galloping Chimera, attack Ittan Momen!" For a moment it seemed as though the Chimera were running in place, but in an instant it crossed the space and bore down on Ittan Momen, and though it was now branded with signs of sealing, weakening it by 500 attack points, something did not seem right...

"Asuka! Get away from it, its too dangerous!" Misawa didn't understand how it could have happened, but somehow Asuka was standing right in front of him, and the Galloping Chimera reared back for another attack, and tore her apart. "ASUKA!" But then, she vanished, like a solid vision image...Kazuki was giggling madly.

"And I'm supposed to be the one with a weak grip on reality! At least I don't foster illusions about being able to 'protect' the ones close to me...mostly because I don't have anyone close to me! Isn't that right, Misawa? Oh, but I suppose I should explain what really happened just now, shouldn't I? Yes I should. You see, when Landscape of Illusions is on the field, every time a monster is destroyed a Deceit Token is special summoned in its place, and my Galloping Chimera can attack twice per turn. Further, when the Deceit Token is destroyed, I get to remove one card in your grave from play, as well as the top card of your deck." The spirit of Ittan Momen appeared for a brief moment before distorting into oblivion itself. "With this method, your deck will be sealed, piece by piece until there is nothing left of it anywhere at all. Now I set one card, and end my turn."

"So, this is your new power then?" Misawa shook away the image of Asuka dying before his eyes, dismissing it as a meaningless illusion. "I have to tell you, I'm not impressed by it at all. Base trickery and conceit, nothing more. Kazuki Aoyama, at the core you are the same pathetic shell of a man as you were when I first dueled you, and here and now I will bring an end to your madness; I play the Field Spell card Mausoleum of the Emperor, which automatically destroys your Field Spell card."

"He says this, thinking I'm not prepared for such a tactic; again, who's the one who's out of touch with reality? I activate my trap card False Path; I negate the activation of your card and remove it from play. Further, if Landscape of Illusions is on the field when I activate this trap card, I can also remove from play the top three cards of your deck. Sorry Misawa, but my world is here to stay."

"...I summon Disgraced Necromancer in attack mode, and then I set one card to end my turn."

"Ah, is that all? Really? Well, I suppose it'll have to do. Or not! I play Riryoku, taking half your Disgraced Necromancer's attack power and adding it to my Galloping Chimera, making my monster eight hundred and fifty points stronger. Galloping Chimera, show Misawa the error of his ways." The Chimera tore into Disgraced Necromancer, but Misawa was prepared for this.

"When Disgraced Necromancer is destroyed by battle and sent to the grave, I discard my entire hand to reduce the battle damage to zero. Furthermore, I activate my Trap card, Graveyard of Wandering Souls, and since three monsters were just sent to my grave, I get to special summon three fireball tokens."

"Ah, but there's still the matter of the Deceit Token that I just special summoned." Galloping Chimera continued its assault, this time appearing to be mauling Judai. "And since I have three choices, I'll remove your Akaoni from play. That's all for me, Misawa. Care to fight back, or is the posturing good enough for you?"

"...I summon Gozuki to the field, and use his effect to send Mezuki from my deck to the grave, special summoning another Fireball Token. This fire, is my burning blood, and it'll burn right through your lies and illusions! End turn!"

"How pithy. A shame that your fire is useless. Galloping Chimera, attack Gozuki for a mutual kill." The monsters battled for a short time before killing each other simultaneously."

"And now, thanks to Graveyard of Wandering Souls, I special summon a fireball token, which means that there's no room left for a Deceit Token on my side of the field."

"Ah, but there is room on mine." A Deciet Token, appearing for all the world like Asuka, flashed onto his field. "And now that the battle phase is over, I activate Galloping Chimera's effect, removing it from play and sacrificing my Deceit Token to summon Phantom Beast Ember Eyes!" A hulking brute of a creature, a primal thing that evoked thoughts of many beasts at once. Most of all though, were the eyes that glowed red, piercing into the soul itself with all the force of 2500 attack points. "And now I set one card to end my turn, but this is when Ember Eyes gets to activate his effect; I am now allowed to see every card in your hand, and if you draw a monster card, I can remove from play cards in your deck equal to one half that monster's level."

"Heh, then it's a good thing that I drew Graceful Charity, which I'll now play."

"But unfortunately for you, two of the cards you just drew are Nine-Tailed Fox and Goka the Pyre of Malice, which makes six cards that I can remove from play. Further, this also activates my trap card, Join in the Lost, allowing me to remove from play a number of cards in your deck equal to the number just removed, which makes for another six gone, gone forever. And speaking of gone, how are your delusions of being able to defend Asuka, Asuka, Asuka, and even Asuka from me?"

"Heh, its not a delusion at all. This moment in my life, I've been preparing for it for a long time, and I'm ready for it. I now sacrifice a Fireball token to summon Goka the Pyre of Malice, and then I sacrifice all other Fireball tokens on the field to raise his attack power to forty-two hundred. Further, I remove the Mezuki in my grave from play to special summon the Nine-Tailed Fox from my grave. Now Goka, burn away Phantom Beast Ember Eyes!" Goka raged, and the fire washed over everything in the vicinity, boiling Ember Eyes alive. When the Deceit Token appeared, it looked like Misawa himself. "And now I attack with Nine Tailed Fox, and since she was special summoned from the grave, her attack penetrates defense, which means twenty-two hundred points of damage for you. Attack, Nine-Tailed Spear!" The Nine Tailed Fox ripped the Deceit Token asunder, leaving Kazuki with only 100 life points left. "Further, since I destroyed your Deceit Token, I now remove Ember Eyes from play. Give up Kazuki, there's nothing you can do to win at this point. Every step of the way you've been unable to so much as touch me, and next turn I'll destroy you completely. Now start talking! Who is behind all this, who?" Kazuki reeled back from all the damage he just took, and then shot his head forward, appearing to be only inches away from Misawa while his body stayed in its previous position.

"Such a vicious one, aren't you Misawa? Are you really sure that I'm the dangerous one here? Are you sure you wouldn't work yourself into a violent rage and burn away anyone foolish enough to be near you?" Kazuki leaned back, now appearing to be his actual distance from Misawa. "And like I already said, there is no one else but me. And Asuka, and Asuka, and Asuka, and Asuka of course! I set one card, and end my turn."

"Well, if you won't talk, then I'll just have to burn it out of you! I now activate Goka's effect to special summon one fireball token."

"And with that, you activate my trap card, Deluded Pride! By activating this card while Landscape of Illusions is on the field, we both remove from play all monsters in our grave and in our decks with an attack power equal to or greater then the monster you just special summoned!" Since the Fireball Token had only 100 attack points, this meant that both Misawa and Kazuki lost the majority of their decks; in particular, Misawa had only 8 cards left, while Kazuki had 12.

"Well, that was cute, Kazuki, and in other circumstances it would have been impressive, but you have nothing to protect yourself. One last chance, Kazuki. Talk!" Kazuki glared back at Misawa, his eyes leering from within the mask he wore, and then Misawa heard another voice.

"The time is right, Misawa. Summon me." Misawa then looked around, trying to find the source of the voice in a place where location had no logic. "I'm here Misawa, and together we can win." He then looked down at his hand, at Ikiryo.

"Are, are you a spirit?" Misawa wondered if it was like this, when Judai and Asuka first saw their spirits.

"Yes Misawa. Summon me like you did before, and together we can defeat Kazuki once and for all. And Asuka, she will see the trust and power you see in her. Summon me, Misawa!" As Misawa gazed down at his card, he noticed that the Nine-Tailed Fox had turned itself around and was now facing him, growling intently, glaring directly at Ikiryo.

"...I...I..." Misawa stood there, trying to process what he was hearing; it didn't seem necessary to summon Ikiryo, yet it had a point, but Nine-Tailed Fox was insistent...

"Hurry up Misawa, or else you'll forfeit your turn, and then I can start guiding Asuka, Asuka, Asuka, and Asuka down the proper path by my side!"

"No you won't! I now remove from play my fireball token to summon Ikiryo and use its effect to return all the cards in your grave back to your deck!" Ikiryo then assumed the form of Asuka, and could not have appeared more beautiful in Misawa's eyes. "Now Ikiryo, destroy Kazuki!" Ikiryo created a tiny ball of sunlight and threw it at Kazuki, who laughed in response.

"You fool! With that accursed card of yours, you have played right into my hand!" Suddenly the space around Kazuki began to warp, and Ikiryo's attack went wide. "You see, when there are no cards in my grave, I can activate Landscape of Illusion's second effect and return removed from play cards back to my deck equal in level to your attacking monster to negate the attack! Ikiryo is level eight, so that means eight cards are returned to my deck." Misawa was in wide-eyed shock; he had him! He had him right where he wanted him, and he fell for Kazuki's trick anyway.

"Goka and Nine Tailed Fox, attack directly!" It was useless of course. With six removed cards for each monster, both their attacks never even reached Kazuki.

"And now to finish this little game once and for all. Misawa, you will now understand that in this, the most important battle of all, that you were never ever a match for me. I play the spell card Reverse Dimension!" Ikiryo then vanished, as thought the space it occupied no longer existed. "I remove from play the highest level monster on your side of the field and then we each remove from play cards in our deck equal to that monster's level. Eight cards Misawa." Misawa looked down at his deck; it was gone, vanished into the ether.

"Damn it." Misawa fell to his knees. "How could I have been so stupid. How!" Kazuki then walked up to him, seemingly without ever moving from where he stood.

"Don't worry Misawa, you lost. It was only inevitable against me. The Mirage of Deceit can't be defeated." Kazuki then stuck out his arm, and a cloud of darkness surrounded Misawa as the Landscape of Illusions vanished, and when the light returned, Misawa was a statue, caught in a pose of supplication.

"MISAWA!" Junko then ran, having now broken free of the bonds that had trapped her earlier, ran to Misawa, looking him in his frozen eyes. Then she turned to Kazuki. "You'll pay for what you did to Misawa, Aiko, and Akio you bastard!" At that point the other girls were also free and joined Junko's side.

"What?" Kazuki blinked confusedly. "What are you talking about Asuka? Misawa? Aiko? Akio? I have no idea who you're talking about. I've never even heard of any of those people." He said with a look of honest counfusion on his face.


	32. Chapter 32

The Light of Truth Shall Pierce the Mirage of Deceit

"You...you really are out of your mind, aren't you?" Junko stared at Kazuki, gaping in shock at what he'd just said. "Do you...do you honestly not remember dueling Misawa just now?"

"Again Asuka, who is this 'Misawa'? The only man that who's name should be on your lips should be mine, Asuka. And of course, the same goes for Asuka, Asuka, and Asuka as well." He said the last pointing to Momoe, Hayako, and Asuka.

"Junko," Asuka said, putting her hand on her shoulder, "let me duel him. We can't afford to risk anyone else, and I am the one that he's obsessed with." Junko then turned to Asuka, removing Asuka's hand from her shoulder.

"No Asuka. You might be the better duelist, but Misawa is my rival and this whole wouldn't have happened if I hadn't convinced Momoe that we should have gone to him in the first place. Tell me I'm wrong Momoe!" Momoe looked away. "You see? My mess, my problem. Don't worry though," She said, flicking her head in Kazuki's direction, "If he keeps on thinking that I'm you Asuka, then he's in for a big damn surprise." With that, Junko turned back to Kazuki and armed her Duel Disk.

"Ah, are you done arguing with Asuka, Asuka? That's good, because the sooner I win, the sooner we can begin our happy life together. Now then, my fair lady, why don't you go first?"

"Gladly. I start by discarding Zeradias the Herald of Heaven to play The Sanctuary in the Sky from my deck." The whole field was bathed in a warm light, save for a small area off to the side where Manjoume and the others once stood. "Now I summon Agent of Wisdom Mercury in defense mode." A green-skinned angel with blue wings carrying a book in its arms crouched down in front of Junko. "Now I'll set three cards, and end my turn."

"Heh heh, a strong front my dear Asuka, but it seems inappropriate to you somehow...are you going through a phase? It matters not, I suppose. First I play Terraforming, allowing me to add Landscape of Illusions from my deck to my hand." At that very moment, Junko thrust her arm out, pointing directly at Kazuki.

"I was waiting for this; I activate my Trap card, Light of Judgment; when Sanctuary in the Sky is on the field, I can discard one light monster from my hand to send one card from your hand to the grave. I discard Radiant Jeral, and with its effect I recover one thousand life points in addition to sending Landscape of Illusions to the grave."

"What!" A crack spontaneously formed in Kazuki's mask, but quickly repaired itself. "A minor triviality, soon to be overcome. I now play Fusion, sending Phantom Beasts Frozen Bear and Flowing Fin to the grave to summon Swimming Chimera!" A shark like beast with the claws and fur of a bear swam onto the field, chomping down with its fangs with 2400 attack points. "Further, I now summon Phantom Beast Electric Fang!" This one was like a humanoid electric eel, save for a mouth that was far too large and crackling with 2100 attack points worth of electricity. "Now, Phantom Beast Electric Fant can't attack directly nor can he attack monsters in defense mode, but this is a simple problem to solve, thanks to Stop Defense!" Agent of Wisdom stood up, ready for battle as Electric Fang mauled him.

"Heh, unfortunately for you, Sanctuary in the Sky's effect prevents me from taking damage in a battle with a fairy monster."

"Yes, but now you don't have any more monsters left, now do you? Swimming Chimera, attack directly!" The feral bear-shark creature swam through the air and chomped down on Junko for 2400 points of damage, causing her to cry out in pain.

"JUNKO!" Momoe tried to rush forward, but Asuka and Hayako held her back. Momoe continued to try, until Junko waved her off.

"...it's okay Momoe. This hurts like a bitch, but its nothing I can't handle." Then Junko looked Kazuki in the eyes. "Besides, your attack activated my trap card, Heavenly Return; with this, I can special summon a fairy monster from my grave whose attack power is equal to or less then the damage I just took, so I special summon Agent of Wisdom in defense mode."

"Heh, that might slow me down some Asuka, but it won't stop me. You may as well take your turn, for all the good it will do you, my dear."

"Gladly, and now I activate Agent of Wisdom's effect; if during your end phase I have no cards in my hand, I get to draw a card during my standby phase, which means I now summon Agent of Creation Venus!" A woman, an angel with long golden hair and golden wings. "And now I activate her effect, paying fifteen hundred life points to special summon three Mystical Shine Balls from my deck." Three simple shining souls twinkled onto the field, small but no less bright for it.

"And yet, not even one of those monsters could hold a candle to my Phantom Beasts. Tell me Asuka, is this a sign? Of how eager you are...to serve as my wife?" Junko sneered at him.

"You should really get your head checked, freak. While I will grant you that I can't beat your monsters right now, I don't have to; I activate my trap card Solar Ray, dealing six hundred points of damage to you for each light fairy monster on my side of the field, or three thousand points total!" The Agent of Wisdom and the Agent of Creation clasped their hands together as the Mystical Shine Balls flew around them in a circle that grew brighter and brighter, as bright as the shining sun itself. Then that energy was released.

* * *

"Woah, did you see that guys?" Judai's voice roused the attention of Manjoume and Shou, who'd been in the darkness for so long that they could just barely discern Judai's body.

"I'm sorry bro, but I didn't at least. Did you, Manjoume."

"...No. Is it something we can use to get out of here Judai."

"Yep! But we better hurry, 'cause I don't think that light is going to last for very long, but so long as we follow it, we'll be out of here in no time!" Judai then grabbed their arms to guide them out, and just as he said, it wasn't long before they found their way out and returned to where they stood before. Once there, they quickly rushed to where Asuka and the others were.

* * *

"Judai, Shou, Manjoume!" Momoe, Hayako, and Asuka called out as the boys reached them.

"Sorry about that guys, I guess we'll have to be on better guard next time...woah, did Misawa lose?" Judai and the other boys then saw the statue of Misawa, still in pose of supplication, though in a position that would leave a flesh and blood person in intense pain.

"Unfortunately." Hayako said, a distinct sadness in her voice.

"But on the bright side, as it were," Momoe said, fully aware of the play on words present in her statement, "Junko did just do three thousand points of damage to Kazuki, so hopefully Misawa and the others will be back to normal before too long."

"SILENCE! I don't know where you people came from, but you're not real so stop acting like it! Only I deserve Asuka, Asuka, and Asuka! No one else can have her but me, the Mirage of Deceit!" At this point the bleeding in his eyes became excarebated, his eyes now a deep red against the golden mask he wore. A wave of darkness then threatened to flow over the group, but Judai and Asuka saw Kuriboh and Winged Kuriboh working together to part the darkness around them.

"Sorry, Kazuki, but I really doubt that bleeding eyes are going to win anyone over. Now I'm going to set one card and end my turn."

"Heh..heh..heh..." Kazuki's breathing was labored. "Why, why do you keep resisting me like this Asuka? Don't you understand yet, haven't you realized yet the lengths that I'm willing to go for you? Why do you still reject me? Is it because you want to be hurt? Yes, that must be it...you're a naughty girl, and you have to be punished! I now play Mirage of Scorn, removing it and five cards from my deck and in my grave from play to add Landscape of Illusions back to my hand, and this time I play it for real!" The Sanctuary vanished, and everything became distorted and false. "And now that Sanctuary in the Sky is gone, you will take battle damage; in fact, I only need one attack to finish this! Phantom Beast Electric Fang, kill Mystical Shine Ball!" Phantom Beast Electric Fang slithered as it ran, and was only moments away from striking.

"And now I activate my trap card, Heavenly Shield! By sacrificing a number of light fairies on my field equal to the number of monsters on your side of the field, I negate your attack and end your battle phase!" Two of the Mystical Shine Balls joined together, becoming a shining barrier that Kazuki's monsters could not break. "And by the way, get it through your head; I am not Asuka! I am Junko Makita and if that's not good enough for you, then screw you!"

"You...you...are not my fair Asuka?" Kazuki began to waver, both mentally and physically. Then he became certain once more. "No, you're just trying to trick me, like you always are! You tempt and tempt but never let me near you! Well I won't have it! I am the Mirage of Deceit, and I will not be denied! Take your turn Asuka, for all the good it'll do you."

"You know, if you weren't so damn aggressive about it, I could feel pity for you...but you keep bothering Asuka, and you used Misawa's own feelings against him, and that's something I can't forgive! Once more I draw a card with Agent of Wisdom's effect, and now I sacrifice Mystical Shine Ball and Agent of Wisdom to summon Athena!" As the goddess of wisdom in war descended onto the field, there was something about her that seemed...more substantial about her then before. "Now I activate Athena's effect and send Agent of Creation to the grave to special summon Agent of Wisdom back from the grave and deal six hundred points of damage to you." A thin but powerful beam of light was reflected off of Athena's shield, piercing Kazuki's mask and leaving a permanent hole in it. Kazuki was now shaking his head, gripping the space just before his eyes. "And now Athena will attack your Phantom Beast Electric Fang for five hundred points of damage, which is one hundred more then what I need to finish you. Athena, attack with Divine Spear of the Gods!" Athena then began to glide across the ground and was about to run Phantom Beast Electric Fang through...

"And now I activate the effect of Landscape of Illusions, sending seven cards that I removed from play back to my deck to negate your attack!" Athena's attack was true, but Phantom Beast Electric Fang was not; indeed there were now many places where the monster in question was not true, but it was too late, Athena's attack was wasted.

"Heh, well I knew that was coming. But you won't be able to do that again." She was right, Kazuki did not have enough cards removed from play to block another attack. "Now I set one card and end my turn."

"Whatever you just put down, it won't do you any good! I sacrifice my Phantom Beast Electric Fang to summon the Phantom Beast Luminous Butterfly!" Electric Fang vanished, and and a shining butterfly formed of pale purple light appeared. "And now I activate its effect; by skipping my battle phase, I can destroy one monster on your side of the field and deal one hundred points of damage to you for every level of that monster. Further, since I have Landscape of Illusions, I can also force us both to remove from play cards from our deck equal in number to the level of the destroyed monster. I now destroy your Athena for seven hundred points of damage and then we both remove seven cards from our decks!" Pale bands of light reached out from Luminous Butterfly's wings and wrapped around Athena. But before Athena expired, she gave Junko a knowing look that startled her, a look that said that she would win. "And now my turn is over, Asuka. Go ahead, draw anything you want; even if you do summon a monster powerful enough to defeat Luminous Butterfly, I can block it with Landscape of Illusions, and then I'll destroy Agent of Wisdom to finish off your ridiculous struggle against me! Then you will be mine Asuka, and then I can make you Asuka mine and you as well Asuka, and finally, Asuka!" He said, pointing to each of the girls in turn, finishing on the genuine Asuka. Junko then looked down at the cards she just drew, and smiled.

"I'll try and get this through to you one last time, Kazuki; I'm not Asuka, neither is Momoe nor Hayako either. And you, you're not just not good enough for Asuka; you're not good enough for any of us! I now remove two Mystical Shine Balls in my grave from play to special summon Soul of Purity and Light, and then I equip her with Black Pendant." Soul of Purity and Light, an Angel that held herself as though draped over someone's shoulders, now wore an obsidian black pendant, raising her attack power to 2500.

"Heh, still useless against Landscape of Illusions."

"Which is why I'm not going to attack; I now activate my trap card, Gift of the Pure Souls; I send both my light fairy monsters to the grave to draw three cards, and because of this, Black Pendant's other effect is activated." As the two angels faded away, the Black Pendant began to glow with a baleful light. "When sent to the grave, Black Pendant does five hundred points of damage to the opponent." The Black Pendant condensed into a pitch black ball and shot into Kazuki's face. Dozens of cracks formed in his mask, and then it turned to dust and blew away in a sudden gust of wind.

"Such a weak soul..." A voice spoke from within the darkness. "The game will yet continue, and each step of the way, you will all make me stronger and stronger. Until then." The gold and darkness vanished, and then Kazuki fell forward, seemingly unconscious. Then a groaning was heard coming from Misawa and Akio, who were both now normal, seemingly showing no signs of their transformation.

"Misawa!" Judai and Junko both called out to him as they ran to him, each offering a hand to help him up. They were then followed up by Manjoume and Asuka helping Akio off the ground as well.

"Well, there were more complications then I would have liked to admit, but it seems we're all okay now, and now Kazuki should no longer be able to put up a fight." Misawa then marched over to Kazuki and turned him over. Then he fell back in shock at what he saw; not only were there numerous and vicious scars across his eyes, but his hands were laced with them as well, scars which until mere moments ago did not even appear to exist. Then Kazuki's eyes shot open, and there was a glazed quality to them, as though they had been damaged beneath the surface.

"I...I..." Everyone gathered around him, and Kazuki's eyes wavered from one person to the next, passing several times over Asuka before settling on her. "Asuka! I've been such an ass to you! Please, you have to believe me, the things I've said and done they weren't...me...? No...I'm not...except..."

"Bullshit!" Akio cried out as he grabbed Kazuki's collar. "I heard you plain and clear before you turned me into that statue thing, and there's no way anyone could be forced into saying and doing the things you did! If you don't start talking I'll...!" A light beeping sound, a ring tone set to the opening theme of an old Giant Robot show. Akio then pulled out his DA PDA and read the message he just received.

"Akio, is it...?" Hayako tentatively stepped forward.

"Aiko's okay! I have to get to her, right now!" Akio then ran off in the direction of the nurses office, and the others decided to take Kazuki there as well, hoping that Ayukawa might be able to get him into a talking condition. This became complicated when both Misawa and Junko collapsed, unable to move under their own power but still concious; fortunately Judai and Momoe were able to pick up the slack.

* * *

"Well, from what I can tell there hasn't been any damage done to either the nerves in his hands or in his eyes, so with some oinments and bandages Kazuki should be able to make a full recovery. He won't even need to stay in the infirmiry like poor Fubuki." Judai and the others learned that when Aiko first woke up, she was rather shocked to see Fubuki, not only as him but his scared face, and was more then eager to leave when Akio came to pick her up. As for Misawa and Junko, it seemed they were suffering from a more mild version of the exhaustion that had overcome Judai and Asuka after their Shadow Duel, but they wouldn't need as much time to recover and could in fact do so in their own rooms. As for Fubuki himself, he smiled benignly at Ayukawa.

"Ah, you shouldn't say 'poor me', Nurse Ayukawa. I've been recovering quite nicely under your tender care." He said with a smile, trying to not notice that Ryoko did not smile at all at what he said. "But, I do believe there are a few things that I need to say to our friend Kazuki." Kazuki then turned his head towards Fubuki, his eyes and hands thoroughly bandaged to prevent infection from setting in, but his ears and mouth uncovered. "I know this is difficult to accept, but there was at the very least a tiny part of you that thought and believed the things you said and did; our enemy cultivated these parts of us to make us into monsters, but those monsters were always in us, somewhere in the darkness of our souls. Please, Kazuki, try to help us, and tell us anything that you can, anything at all." Kazuki lowered his head into his hands, careful to not actually cradle his head.

"I...I know that you probably won't believe me, least of all you, Asuka...but looking back on it, for a long time now, I haven't been myself. I mean, I, I've always been proud and aggresive, but...I don't know when it was, but some time last year, I began to change. I became more and more self-absorbed, and once I saw you Asuka, something in me began to break loose. Each time you defeated me Asuka, that thing in me grew stronger and stronger. And then, about a week ago, I was out walking and it took over. Everything after that became hazy, but I knew what I was doing and I couldn't stop it."

"And the way you kept calling all of us Asuka?" Momoe said.

"I...I couldn't see right. Everything was changed; any girl I saw became Asuka, every guy I saw...the only ones I could even recognize were Misawa and Judai. No one else even registered to me. It's like...I was walking in a mirage or something, like there was a cloud of deception over my head."

"Mirage of Deceit..." Hayako said under her breath, but everyone heard her none-the-less. "Fubuki, you kept referring to the Terror of Death while you were being controlled, right?" He nodded. "For some reason, those terms, they seem familiar to me, but for the life of me I can't remember from what context."

"That's weird," Kazuki said, "I feel the same way. There's something familiar about it, but I can't say what. Well...I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I really don't know how all this happened. I don't who did this to me or to Fubuki, or why, or how, or any of it. But, it may take a while, but I will recover myself and I will redeem myself, and Asuka...I hope that when that time comes, that you'll believe that I'm not really such an ass. Now, I'd like to rest, please. I feel like I haven't slept for a very long time." Everyone nodded, and almost immediately Kazuki nodded off. Judai helped Misawa to his feet while Momoe helped Junko to hers, and they all left, leaving behind Ayukawa, Fubuki, Kazuki, and Kaiser Ryoko.

* * *

"All right Misawa, here you are back safe and sound! Is there anything else I can do to help you?" Misawa shook his head.

"No...well, there is one thing; Judai, could you go give my apologies to Asuka?"

"Apologize? For what? Is it because you lost that duel with Kazuki? But why would you need to apologize to Asuka about that?"

"You didn't see it Judai, and I'm not sure how much she saw, but Kazuki manipulated me into giving him the victory in that duel, and my concern for her was the basis for that manipulation. I don't think I can tell her that myself though, so please, do me this favor Judai, and I'll be sure to let you have my notes for the next test.

"Nah, you don't need to do that. I'll let Asuka know, she'll understand. She can get pretty concerned about the people she cares about too, you know? Well, I should be getting back to my room; I'm going to need all the sleep I can get, and boy am I glad that there's no class in the morning, or else I'd be dead!"

* * *

**Author's Note: **Man, was it a pain not being able to update on schedule. And speaking of schedule, I will now be updating every other day, starting from when I should have updated yesterday. Basically, you'll be getting an update tomorrow. I hope everyone enjoys this and all my other chapters, and as always, please feel free to review.


	33. Chapter 33

Propagation, The Never Ending Battle

"Fubuki, its been over a month now; how much longer do you plan on staying here?" Ayukawa had left earlier to file an order for medical supplies and had put up a sign forbidding any visitors; thus, Kaiser Ryoko and Fubuki were alone.

"Well Ryoko, I'm not sure really. I mean, you have been bringing me my homework, so I don't have to worry about that, and Professor Chronos dropped my dueling quota, so I don't have to worry about that either. So really, I don't have any reason to rush things; this is something I've wanted to be able to do ever since I've noticed how pretty the school nurses tend to be, so I'll probably be here a while longer."

"You know that's not the issue." Ryoko shifted in her seat, affecting a more authoritative position. "The longer you stay in here, cooped away and isolated from everyone, the worse the rumours will become. Some people even think that you were never found, or even died, because you refuse to show yourself. Besides which, your admirers still wish to see you; you belong out there, where they can see you, where you can inspire them with your presence."

"Do you really think," Fubuki said as he laid his head back on his pillow, "that they would still feel that way if they were to see me? As I am now, I doubt my face would be welcomed by anyone, least of all my admirers." He gingerly traced a finger across one of the scars that lined his face; it was no longer so angrily red as when it was fresh, but it was too deep and wide to ever fade away. As were all of his scars.

"I've never understood your desire to play to the crowd; for me, it is enough to be victorious and to let those around me take whatever they want from it. But Fubuki, let me assure you, that any admirers that would turn you away for no longer appearing to be a perfect idol, were never worth anything at all."

"Heh, you sure can be harsh Ryoko, but I can't...!" The door suddenly opened and whoever it was, it was not Ayukawa; she always made sure to announce herself before entering. Fubuki immediately pulled his pillow over his face as Kaiser Ryoko stood up to intercept. It took only a moment, but Ryoko recognized the intruder and narrowed her eyes accordingly.

"Misa, I know you can read and the sign outside was unambiguous. Furthermore, you know that I will not allow you back into Obelisk Blue, which makes your wearing of that uniform most inappropriate." Misa was indeed wearing the Obelisk Blue uniform, in stark violation of her own demotion. "So then, what is your purpose here, Misa?" Misa's eyes were unusually wide and had a peculiar, unblinking quality to them as she spoke.

"Kaiser Ryoko is so wonderful, so perfect. She will make a fine addition to the Propagation. As will Fubuki, who we will make as lovely as us once more." As Misa raised her arm, Ryoko saw that her Duel Disk was growing out of her arm.

"Well, I would have thought that our enemy could do better then you, but I will face you anyway." Kaiser Ryoko then turned her head back. "Fubuki, this will only take a moment."

"He, He, he, a moment she says. Kaiser Ryoko thinks that she will over come this one so easily, but she is mistaken. Show her." Misa's eyes then glazed over. "I now summon Harpy Lady One," she said as her voice acquired an oddly echoing quality. "Now I play two Elegent Egotists to special summon two more Harpy Lady Ones from my deck, and with all three out, each one has an attack power of twenty-two hundred. I now set two cards, and end my turn." Kaiser Ryoko smiled coolly at her opponent.

"To think that such a strategy would ever work against me...it bears no comment, save but my imminent victory. First I summon the Skilled Dark Magician." A man in a dark robe that seemed to dim the light around itself, and on the collar of that robe were three gems. "Now I play the spell card, Summoner's Art, to add Dark Magician to my hand." The first gem began to glow. "Next I play Ancient Rules, to special summon Dark Magician from my hand." The second gem began to glow as the true Dark Magician appeared. "Now I sacrifice the Dark Magician to summon the Dark Eradicator Warlock, and then I play Tremendous Fire." A huge coursing wave of fire burst into being just in front of Misa as the Dark Eradicator Warlock made use of his own power, and together they did 2000 points of damage to Misa. However, the fire was too intense to be entirely controlled, and so Kaiser Ryoko took 500 points of damage in backlash. The third of the Skilled Dark Magician's gems was now glowing. "Now I sacrifice the Skilled Dark Magician to special summon Dark Magician back from the grave, and then I play Dedication Through Light and Darkness, sacrificing the Dark Magician to special summon Dark Magician of Chaos from my deck." The Dark Magician of Chaos was dressed in leather and numerous buckles that verged on the fetishistic; quite frankly, Kaiser Ryoko never understood the appeal of either. In any event, by being summoned, Dark Magician of Chaos's effect was now activated. "I now return Tremendous Fire to my hand, and play it again." Rather then washing over Misa, the fire struck her and threw her out into the hallway and against the opposite wall, lifting her almost a meter off the ground in the process. Kaiser Ryoko herself had to brace against the impact of the fire.

"Wow, perfect as always Kaiser Ryoko." Ryoko turned momentarily to find that Fubuki had now gotten out of his bed. "Hopefully when Misa here comes to, she'll be able to...!" A wind began to blow in the hallway, and it was as though a cloak of shadows was being blown off of Misa, revealing that it was in fact not Misa at all, but a second year Osiris Red boy.

"An impressive trick." Misa's voice now called out from one end of the hallway.

"But I doubt you'll be able to pull it off again." Misa's voice now came from the other end of the hallway; this was simple to understand, as there were was a Misa at each end of the hallway.

"Fubuki, contact Judai, Asuka, and the others. Tell them they need to get here immediately. I'll keep them at bay, so you have nothing to worry about." Fubuki then dashed back into the nurse's office to retrieve his DA PDA, and Kaiser Ryoko readied herself as the two Misas were joined by two more.

* * *

"Wow, no wonder so many people were absent today." When Judai and the others arrived, there was a pile of twenty unconscious students just outside the nurse's office, and standing in the doorway was Kaiser Ryoko, who was breathing slightly harder then normal.

"It would seem that way Judai; prior to defeating them, they were all changed into...reflections of Misa, and they were intensely interested in having me and Fubuki join them."

"Reflections?" Everyone turned around to see what appeared to be Misa Watsuki, who was looking not at them but the defeated duelists. "What a poor word choice to use for my children, but look at what you've done to them; don't worry my dears, I'm here to make it all better again." Misa then stuck her arm out, and all the students changed back into her. "There we go, now they're nice and beautiful and perfect, just like they should be." Everyone stared in shock, even Kaiser Ryoko. The students arose as one, and glanced benignly at them.

"Join us, join the Propagation, make this school as perfect as it can be, perfect with only us in it." They all said as one.

"It would also seem," Misawa said, "That unless we defeat the original Misa, this battle won't come to an end."

"All right then, I know what to do!" Judai stepped forward, facing the newly arrived Misa. "I've got to be honest though, this is a duel I've been wanting to do for a long time." Judai then turned back to the others. "Everyone, make sure that the...other Misas don't try anything." The other Misas began to advance, but Kaiser Ryoko was now joined by Manjoume, Misawa, Asuka, Momoe, and Junko. Hayako and Shou stood with Judai, ready to support him. Judai nodded to them before turning back to Misa.

"Oh, why so angry Judai? After all, none of this would be possible, if not for your interference!"

"What?"

"Oh, don't act so coy; you know that if you hadn't interfered in the arrangement between me and that animal over there, this would not have been necessary." Misa said as she pointed at Hayako. "But I am not angry, not angry at all...I start by discarding Harpy Queen to play Harpy's Hunting Ground from my deck. Next I summon Cyber Harpy Lady, and set one card to end my turn." Judai looked around, and saw the hallway was now swarming with harpies, but his friends were matching them in equal measure. He then turned back to Misa, glaring at her.

"Misa, you...you are a duelist that I can't forgive! I now summon Elemental Hero Ocean in defense mode, and then I play Fake Hero to special summon Elemental Hero Stratos from my hand, and then I activate his effect to destroy your Harpy's Hunting Ground. Now I set three cards, and at the end of my turn, Elemental Hero Stratos returns to my hand." Misa's eyes were now wide with shock.

"Me, unforgivable? That's impossible, I am the most beautiful, the prettiest and smartest and most popular...what is there to forgive!" She shrieked the last part out. "It is you who does not deserve my forgiveness, but I'll give it to you anyway, and gift you with the joy that is being part of the Propagation! I now activate my trap card, Hysteric Party! I discard Harpy Lady Two, and bring her and Harpy Queen back to the field, and now I summon Harpy's Pet Baby Dragon, and with three Harpy Ladies on the field, I'll use my dragon's effect to destroy your Elemental Hero Ocean." The little dragon roared and Elemental Hero Ocean perished.

"And now I activate my trap card Hero Signal to special summon Elemental Hero Woodsman from my deck in defense mode."

"Do you think that will stop me Judai? Think again! I now equip Harpy's Pet Baby Dragon with Big Bang Shot, raising its attack power by four hundred and letting its attack penetrate defense. Attack, Harpy's Pet Baby Dragon!" The three Harpies tightened their grips on the dragon, and it responded by breathing a powerful fire onto Woodsman for 800 points of damage.

"And now you've activated my second trap card, Hero Counterattack! When an Elemental Hero is destroyed by battle, you pick a card from my hand, and if that card is an Elemental Hero, I can special summon it from my hand and destroy one monster on your side of the field. Since it's the only card in my hand, I now special summon Elemental Hero Stratos to the field and destroy your Harpy Queen." Elemental Hero Stratos flew down onto the field and performed a quick flyby attack on the Harpy Queen before landing on Judai's side of the field. "Furthermore, I now use Elemental Hero Stratos's effect to add Elemental Hero Knopse to my hand."

"You little punk, you dare to kill my queen with that inferior monster! You are sorely tempting me to leave you friendless and alone, Judai; perhaps I'll let you have only Hayako for company, and then you'll realize how worthless she is! But for now, I'll finish my battle phase."

"...And now I activate my third trap card, Hero Blast, returning Elemental Hero Ocean to my hand and destroying Harpy Lady Two, since her attack is less then Ocean's" A thunderous pulse of water crashed down onto Harpy Lady Two, crushing her instantly.

"You, you, you keep trying to ruin everything! But I won't let you! I set one card, and end my turn." She smiled inwardly; her Mirror Wall would tear that fool into little pieces, making him open to see that the Propagation was for the best!

"...I now play Graceful Charity" He discarded H-Heated Heart and Elemental Hero Voltic. "Now I play A Hero's Legacy, removing Elemental Hero Knopse in my hand from play to draw three cards." He didn't say anything, it was clear that Misa, especially as she was now, would never listen. "Now I summon Elemental Hero Ocean, and play Miracle Fusion, removing Woodsman and Ocean from play to summon Elemental Hero Earth." He looked carefully at Misa's face down card. "Now I set one card, and end my turn."

"Hah, you truly are a coward, aren't you Judai? Don't worry, I've decided I will let you be part of the Propagation anyway. So now I play Elegent Egotist to special summon Harpy Lady Sisters from my deck, and with two Harpy monsters on my field, my dragon's attack power is now back to twenty-eight hundred, more then your Earth. Harpy's Pet Baby Dragon, attack the Earth!"

"I now activate my trap card, Hero Barrier, negating your dragon's attack."

"Eh, whatever, I'll just kill it next turn. In the meanwhile, I'll be destroying Stratos with Harpy Lady Sisters." As the Harpy Lady Sisters raced towards Stratos, they suddenly found themselves pulled towards Elemental Hero Earth along with the Cyber Harpy Lady.

"My trap card, Earth's Gravity; all level four or lower monsters must now attack Elemental Hero Earth." As the harpies rushed in closer, they were each crushed by the gravity exuded by Elemental Hero Earth, leaving the Harpy's Pet Baby Dragon all alone. And with no more cards to play, Misa had to pass the turn. But she still was not worried, she still had her mirror wall, and that would give her time to face the coward. "Now, I play Magician's Archive to add R-Righteous Justice to my hand, and play it to destroy both your face-down and your Big Bang Shot, and when that's destroyed, your monster gets removed from play!" Harpy's Pet Baby Dragon shrieked pitiably as it vanished, and now Misa's field was clear. "Now I sacrifice Elemental Hero Stratos to Elemental Hero Earth and attack directly!" In an instant all of Misa's life points were burned away. The fire of the Earth's magma swords clung to Misa's form as she smiled eerily

"Not bad Judai, now see if you can do it again." And then her appearance burned away, revealing a third year Obelisk Blue boy, who collapsed backwards, which revealed yet another Misa. Judai then looked back at the others, and saw several Misa's renew their fallen members before replacing them. "You see," said the new Misa, "You can't win; no matter how much you struggle, you will in the end fall to the Propagation."

"Damn," Judai said, a wry smile on his face, "I know I love to duel, but this isn't what I had in mind."

"As well it shouldn't!" Professor Chronos De Medici's voice rang out from across the hallway as he marched down towards the battlefield. "It wouldn't do for a dropout boy like you to exert himself, now would it?" As he came in closer, he spoke quietly and sincerely to Judai. "I'll take over here for you; I will not allow anything more to happen to Fubuki or any of my other precious students. You take who you can and find the real Misa; your Winged Kuriboh should be able to help you there." Judai then nodded, and called Shou and Hayako over to him before summoning Winged Kuriboh. Winged Kuriboh immediately began to fly off at a very high speed, and it was all that the Osiris Red students could do to keep up with the spirit.

"Oh, Professor Chronos. Yes, even you will make a fine addition to the Propagation. Let's duel!"

* * *

"Excuse me, are you perhaps Hayako Maeda?" Judai, Shou, and Hayako stopped and turned to face the strange man who just spoke; he did not look like any of the Duel Academia staff members that any of them had seen before, but then they saw the II insignia pressed onto his lapel.

"Yes, I'm Hayako." She stepped forward as the man brought out a letter and a small packet.

"I am here on behalf of CEO Shiori Tsukasa of Industrial Illusions to present to you your prize."

"My prize?" Hayako could hardly believe what she was hearing.

"Yes. As the letter states, you were the winner of the contest and you have been provided with advance copies of the cards that you created. Please read the letter for more information. Now if you'll excuse me, I can sense that now is not a good time to be on this island." The man then marched away decisively. Hayako opened the packet, reveling two cards inside. She looked down at them, then turned to Judai and Shou.

"Listen, can you guys let me face Misa? I know you're both better duelists then me, but this is..."

"Hey, no need to say anything." Judai put his hand on Hayako's shoulder. "Shou and I will do whatever it takes to help you get there. Right Shou." Shou appeared a little skeptical about letting Hayako go in Judai's place, but...

"All right Bro, I'll be right behind you all the way!"

* * *

"Well, it looks like she's in the Obelisk Blue dorm, but..." Judai, Shou, and Hayako were hiding behind some bushes, watching the half-a-dozen Misa's standing guard, ready to intercept anyone who came.

"How are we going to get past them all Judai? With that many there, dueling them won't do any good. They'll just keep restoring themselves until we're too exhausted to fight back and lose by default." It was indeed a difficult situation, yet they all knew that they had only so much time before their friends fell.

"Wait, bro, I think...the Misa you were dueling really seemed to have it in for you. If you were to provoke them, you could probably distract these Misas long enough for one of us to get past them and to the real Misa." There was a silent pause.

"Provoke them? I think I can do that." Judai then leapt out in the open and started yelling at the Misas standing guard. "Hey you! Take a look at this!" Judai turned around, Shou covered his face in his hands and Hayako immediately averted her gaze as Judai did the one thing that was guarantied to provoke the assembled Misas. It worked, possibly a little too well, as all six Misas as well as several more that were hidden began chasing after the cheeky Osiris Red, who was now running full speed away. But now the path was clear. As Shou and Hayako approached the front door, they saw a single Misa standing at the top of the inside stairs, a golden collar on her neck.

"Hayako, you go on ahead. I'll stay on guard here, in case any more Misas show up and try to interfere." Hayako nodded, and entered to face the enemy.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Wondering who the heck Shiori Tsukasa is and how she became CEO of Industrial Illusions? Once again, I would like to direct your attention to my Rebirth of The Shadow Games stories. All will become clear there.


	34. Chapter 34

Propagation's Purpose, Ideals Defied

"Professors Hibiki and Daitokuji, have you gathered everyone who hasn't been converted yet?" Principal Samejima turned to her subordinates, all of them armed in their Duel Coats that were the privilege of the heads of Duel Academia. They were all standing just outside the Ra Yellow dorms, which according to witnessess was where the enemy first struck. But the enemy left behind nothing, as though it cared not for the place.

"Yes we have," Professor Daitokuji said, a frown on his face, "But unfortunately, it would seem that a full third of the students have been taken over by this 'Propagation'. If not for the peril we're all in, I'd like to be able to study their power and find out more about it."

"Regardless," Professor Hibiki interjected, "we must do what we can to keep them safe until Judai and his friends are able to reach the real Misa and defeat her. That is our priority, and nothing else." At that moment a horde of Misas approached them.

"Yes," the lead Misa said as she gazed upon them, "with your help, we should be able to spread the Propagation that much faster." They all armed their Duel Disks, and the professors responded by arming theirs.

"You may be capable duelists," Principle Samejima said, bringing forth her most intimidating presence. "But you will never get one step past us. This is our duty, and we intend to fulfill it!"

* * *

"Hello Hayako. You know, in a way I'm glad that you've come to me like this." Misa walked down the steps as she spoke, tugging at the gold collar that she now wore; it, like the artifacts that Fubuki and Kazuki had worn, was a painful looking thing and Hayako could see the scars that the ill-fitting item had created and were continuing to create. "It just wouldn't have done for any of the other me's to give you this precious gift."

"Gift?" Misa had now reached the bottom of the stairs, and Hayako could see the collar drawing out tiny drops of blood.

"Yes, the gift of being me. You see, I don't hate you anymore, because if it hadn't been for you, I never would have realized this power. You and Judai, you helped me to realize my true potential, and now, I will give you what you've always wanted Hayako. Let's duel!" The two girls armed their Duel Disks, beginning their final battle. "I now play the Field Spell card, Ideal Proliferation." At once, every object in the Obelisk Blue dorm became doubled and became cleaner, neater, more geometrically perfect. "With this card, every time that I summon a Harpy monster, I place a token into a spell/trap zone. That token possesses the all the traits of the Harpy monster summoned, and if my harpy monster is destroyed, I can special summon that token onto the monster zone. So, I'll start by summoning Harpy Lady One, and then I play two Elegent Egotists to summon two more Harpy Lady Ones, and with Ideal Propagation, that makes six!" As each Harpy Lady appeared, they each became wracked with pain as massive growths emerged from their bodies, becoming the new Harpies brought out by Ideal Proliferation. "And with effectively six Harpy Lady Ones on my field, each one will possess thirty-one hundred attack points! Now I'll set one card and see if you can even last so much as one turn against this perfect power." Hayako couldn't help but feel overwhelmed, facing so many Harpy Ladies, each looking exactly the same as the one next to it, each filled with a vainglorious look in their eyes that filled her with a distinct sensation of revulsion.

"Misa, what are you doing? Why are you doing this? Do you really hate me this much, that you're trying to take over the whole school?"

"Hate you? Haven't you been listening you animal? I don't hate you anymore, because now I can fix you."

"Fix me!?" Misa's eyes then grew wide, and the bleeding from her neck increased.

"Yes! Duel Academia is supposed to be where the best belong, yet here you are, fat ugly and unlikable, having no talent to speak of at all. But now I can make you and everyone else like me; beautiful, wonderful, loved by everyone, truly and deeply. You won't have to put up with those fake and frail bonds that those losers in Osiris Red have with you; the Propagation will be eternal, and it will never, not ever, let you be alone. You will be beautiful and surrounded by beauty, just like everyone should be!"

"You...you..." Hayako was finding herself short of breath at Misa's declaration; it was madness, pure and simple, and yet...there was an honest core to it that didn't seem so wrong and twisted. If she could just... "I now set one monster and three cards to end my turn."

"Hah! You see, you do understand! You understand how hideous and ugly and unlovable you are, so you hide yourself from real beauty! But don't worry Hayako, I'll make everything better, you'll see. Now I set one card, and then I activate Ideal Proliferation's second effect, allowing me to sacrifice spells and traps in the place of monsters! I sacrifice my two face down cards to summon Harpy's Pet Dragon!" It was particularly disturbing to see the second Harpy's Pet Dragon grow from the back of the first, the sounds of bones cracking and flesh tearing quite audible. "And with six Harpy Lady Ones, Harpy's Pet Dragon has an attack power of fifty-six hundred! I know for a fact that there's not a single monster in your deck that can stand before me, so let's finish this now! Harpy Lady One, attack!"

The Harpy Lady struck swift and true, slaying the now-revealed Nimble Momonga in an instant. But with its effect Hayako recovered 1000 life points and summoned two more to replace it. "Heh, a useless delaying tactic, it won't change anything. Harpy Ladies, continue the attack!"

"Hold it! I activate my trap card, Gift of the Mystical Elf, and with ten monsters on the field, that gives me three thousand life points!" Moments later the other two Nimble Momongas were slain, and with their effects Hayako now had 10,000 life points.

"...Pile on as much blubbery life as you want, it won't work against me Hayako! Harpy's Pet Dragon, attack directly!" Hayako was blown off her feet from the impact of the attack; she'd never imagined that a shadow game could be so painful. Then, unbidden, a memory of her father, of the famous duelist and caretaker of orphans Jun Maeda, it came to her.

"My Hayako," He'd once told her after the other children refused to let her play with them, "I know that right now you wish you were like them; I used to feel that way too. Its not normal to be six feet tall when you're only nine years old, and the other kids made sure I knew that. But please, try to understand, that you are as you should be. One day you'll find friends who'll see that, and that'll be the happiest day of your life. Now come on, why don't we go look at your sketches, that should make you feel better."

Hayako looked up at the ceiling, thinking; it seemed so convenient, that memory showing up when it did, but it, he was right. Judai, he was the friend that her father had told her about, and not just him. Junko, Momoe, Shou, even Asuka, Misawa, and even Manjoume in his own way. Hayako got back up, breathing hard but still standing.

"No Misa, this time, I will win. Once and for all, I will win against you! I set one monster and end my turn."

"You, win! That can't happen, that can never happen! I'm the beautiful one that everyone wants to be, even you!"

"...That was true."

"What?"

"I used to admire you, and I used to work so hard to try and be like you, but then you started to hate me, and that made me hate myself even more then before. But not anymore. I don't admire you, and nothing you say can ever hurt me ever again."

"You little liar! If I say that you are a fat worthless animal, then you should feel that tear into your heart and soul! How can you appreciate what I'm trying to do for you if you don't understand that you're sick and wrong as you are? You can't, but I'll make you understand! I now summon Harpy Queen, and with Ideal Proliferation, that makes two Harpy Queens, which raises my Harpy's Pet Dragon's attack to sixty-two hundred! Harpy Queen, attack her face down monster!" The Harpy descended on the now revealed Nimble Musasabi, and while Musasabi's 500 damage effect went off, with no empty zones on Misa's side of the field, Hayako could not special summon two onto hers. But...

"Now I activate my trap card, Beast Soul Sacrifice! By sending two Beast Monsters from my hand to the grave, and two beasts with the same name as the one just destroyed from my deck to the grave, I can end your battle phase." The spirits of Hayako's beasts, the Nimble Musasabis, the Berserk Gorrilla, and the Enraged Battle Ox, they all stood before the Harpies and their dragon, who could not move past them.

"Whatever. All that you've done is to buy yourself another turn, and with ten beautiful, powerful, loving and loyal monsters on my side of the field, you have no hope of ever standing up to me. Go ahead, start your turn; the sooner you lose, the sooner I can fix you, and make you part of the Propagation."

As Hayako drew her card, she heard the sound of hoofs beating against the ground at high speed, and she saw a mighty warrior that could slay any dragon. She trusted this vision and what it told her to do. "First, since its the only card in my hand, I now summon Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight!" As the knight in question rushed onto the field, Hayako could feel it; this wasn't just a solid vision image, there was more there. It was a spirit. Hayako could hardly believe it.

"Hah, that's what you were able to come up with? But then again, this is an improvement in your taste. I don't think I'll enjoy destroying him, but it's the price I'll have to pay to make you part of the Propagation." Hayako then heard something, a voice coming from Swift Gaia; she couldn't make out the words, but it told her what to do all the same.

"Now I activate my face-down card, Pot of Avarice, returning five monsters from my grave to my deck, and drawing two more cards." The moment she saw her cards, she knew that this was more then coincidence. "Now I set two cards, and end my turn."

"Really? You're done? That's good, because this will be the last turn of this duel, the last duel that features your fat worthless hide, and the beginning of the new you that is me! Harpy's Pet Dragon, kill Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight!"

"I now activate the trap card, Eternal Rage of Battle!" A nimbus of red energy now surrounded the knight and the dragon. "During this turn, monsters can't be destroyed by battle, and your monster has to attack a number of times equal to the number of monsters on your side of the field, and each time they battle, my monster will gain four hundred attack points

"You, you're making that up! That card doesn't even exist!"

"It does now. I created it, and Industrial Illusions is going to print it. They thought that my drawings were good, and that's something that's a part of who I am!"

"Well guess what, I'll still be beating you before your knight, so your miracle cheat card isn't going to do shit!"

"Which is why I'm going to activate the second card I created, the quick-spell card Guidance of the One! When I have only one monster on my side of the field, that monster gains two hundred attack points for every monster on your side of the field!"

The knight and the dragon clashed; the knight was crushed, but he persevered. He was smashed, but he held on, He was burned but he fought on, he was clawed but he believed. And then, the tide began to turn. The Harpies tried to bolster the dragon's resolve, but against the knight that had been forged by battle, there was nothing they could do. First one wing was cut off, and then the next. His claws were clipped, his fangs destroyed. And finally, Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight drove his lance into Harpy's Pet Dragon's Heart, finishing the battle with Hayako victorious. Misa shrieked as the collar around her neck dissolved into fine golden dust, leaving behind a very sore and swollen looking neck.

"Hmm, a shame." There was now a strange gloom in the corner of the room, the kind of gloom that you couldn't see by looking directly at it. "Things were progressing so well too. But then again, I can do so much better then her. Until then!" The darkness then vanished, and Hayako slumped over, unable to support herself, but still concious to see Misa flee from her in terror and to hear Shou rushing towards her.

"Whew, I guess Hayako just won...I'll bet those new cards she made did the trick!" Judai had been running for some time now, and was certainly glad that the students now looked to be back to normal; sure, a little exhausted looking, but that was to be expected after being possessed. At least, Judai figured it would be exhausting; never having been possessed, he couldn't really be sure.

* * *

"Hey wait...you're Judai Yuki, right?" One of his persuers turned out to have been a second year Ra Yellow girl with oddly childlike features, and she was looking at him strangely. "I'm Sayu Higurashi, and I'm really thankful for you for saving us just now."

"Eh? Actually, Hayako's the one who saved the day today, but I'll let her know. Oh! But first I've got to go check on Asuka and the others." And so Judai ran off to the nurses office, completely forgetting that he still had his DA PDA with him and could have contacted them much more quickly that way.

* * *

"You sure you're okay Hayako?"

"Yeah Shou, that duel just really took it out of me, but I'm fine now. Listen, do you think you can head back to Judai and the others? I've got to talk to Misa now, and I don't think she'd be able to handle a lot of people right now."

"Are you sure about that? I mean, even before she was possessed, Misa was a jerk. You sure you don't want any back up?"

"I'm sure. And...besides, you remember what happened with Kazuki?" Shou's eyes widened as he realized what Hayako was saying.

"Okay, I'll go let Bro know what's happening." As Shou ran off, Hayako took a few deep breaths before getting back up; she winced, but she figured that she'd be able to walk it off. By the time she'd reached the top of the stairs, most of the pain was gone, and now it was simply a matter of figuring out which room Misa was hiding in. It wasn't hard, since Misa's bleeding neck left behind a thin trail for her to follow. Hayako entered the room, and saw Misa huddling in the corner, looking absolutely terrified.

"Okay, okay, if you want to hit me, go right ahead! Just don't hit me in the face, that's all I ask!" Misa protectively covered her neck, wincing as her hands were now covered in a thin layer of blood.

"Misa, what's going on? This isn't like you at all." Misa shook her head very quickly.

"No no, now I'm acting like me! For a long time now I've been such a bitch to you, and the fact is is that I have no excuse for how I acted! I mean, I always resented that someone like you could make it into Duel Academia; this was supposed to be where the best and brightest up and coming duelists would be gathered, but you made that a lie! Every time I saw you, you reminded me that being here wasn't anything special, that I wasn't special for making it to here. But...at some point last year, something changed in me; I started to hate you more and more and I couldn't keep it inside anymore."

"And then that Judai guy showed up, and he kept encouraging you and encouraging you, and even though I still won, I ended up losing my place in Obelisk Blue, the one way that I knew that I was special here. And then, then you beat me in the tournament, the very first round of the tournament! I couldn't make it work, I couldn't accept it, everything kept getting darker and darker, until today, when it just took over. And now, you beat me again, and I can't avoid it anymore; I'm not the special one, you are. You might look ugly, but I'm the one who feels ugly." Hayako stood over Misa for a while. Then she stuck out her hand.

"Come on, there's been a lot going on that's a whole lot bigger then the two of us. Just...try to remember how you used to be, okay? That Misa was a pretty good person." Misa looked at Hayako skeptically, and reluctantly took her hand to help herself up.

"Well, we'll see."

* * *

"Well, its a good thing that you didn't wait too long to get Misa here; fortunately these cuts on her neck are very shallow, so with, well, bandages and ointments, she should be able to recover without any infections setting in. I swear, I would never have believed that these kinds of injuries would be possible here; I mean, even when I found out about the Shadow Games, I thought they were all just mental, all inside the head." Ayukawa found herself becoming exasperated by her recent workload; not to imply that she was not a nurturing and caring woman, but this sort of damage was not the kind that she'd been truly prepared for, due in no small part to not ever really believing that the Shadow Games were ever real. But ever since those Duel Spirits woke her up from her dreams... "In any event, I'll want Misa to stay overnight, to make sure her condition doesn't get any worse. Everyone out now, the patients need their rest, its been a very busy and tiring day for everyone, especially them!" Judai and the others left the room as Fubuki waved goodbye to everyone. Most of the other students were milling about, still a bit dazed from their ordeal, but otherwise showing no substantial signs of injury, physical or otherwise.

"So," Judai said, his voice eager as always, "I think we did pretty good guys. Yeah, things looked pretty close there for a while, but Hayako came through like I knew she would!" Everyone turned to look at the Osiris Red girl in question, who nervously looked away from everyone. But Momoe took her shoulder.

"See, didn't Junko and I tell you that you could kick ass if you put your mind to it? Mind you, it helps to get custom cards at the last second, but since you made them, that makes them really special!" Misawa then started muttering to himself, which everyone listened in on.

"The Terror of Death, the Mirage of Deceit, and now the Propagation...it feels like we're missing something. Hayako, you mentioned before that the first two sounded familiar to you; is it the same with the third?"

"...Yeah, yeah! I'm certain now, I've heard of these things before! But...I just don't remember anything more." Hayako said, her shoulders slumping from her own disappointment in herself.

"It's okay." Asuka said, trying to be supportive. "You did great today, and I'm sure we can figure out what's going on before its too late."


	35. Chapter 35

Raise Those Spirits, A Night to Remember!

"Attention everyone, I have an announcement to make." No matter where anyone was in Duel Academia, the PA system ensured that everyone heard Principal Samejima's announcement. "I would first of all like to express my deepest appreciation to all the students, who all fought hard and admirably against our most recent enemy; were any one of you lacking, things would have turned out very differently. That said, I am also well aware that many among you have found their spirits dropping in the wake of this battle. Therefore, two evenings hence there will be a party; no dueling, no competition, just the chance for everyone to relax and to remember the comradery we all share. I hope that everyone will enjoy these festivities, and I look forward to once more seeing everyone's smiling faces." As the PA system sounded off, Judai looked over at Shou and grinned.

"Well that sounds nice! Is there someone you'd like to go to the party with Shou? Because if there is you're going to have to ask her before someone asks her first."

"Eh?!" Shou almost fell out of his seat in shock, and almost plowed right into Judai; fortunately he was able to restore balance at the last second. "Bro, you know that there isn't anyone, especially not anyone who'd even say yes to going with me."

"Really? You did make it to the final eight in the tournament and from what I heard you did a great job keeping Hayako safe so that she could defeat The Propagation. You know, I'll bet Hayako or Asuka could introduce you to some one. Yeah, I'll call Asuka up and-!" Shou then put his hand over Judai's PDA, which was on his desk, before he could reach it.

"It's okay Bro. I know you're just trying to help, but the truth is that the party will be awkward enough without having to worry about, well...you know. Making sure she's having a good time."

"Ah. Well I wouldn't want to make you feel uncomfortable so we'll just go without dates. Heck, now that I think about it, I don't know what you're supposed to do with a girl at a party either. I guess I wouldn't have been that much help anyway!" Judai said with a light laughter, which Shou found to be infectious.

"Well, if we're not going to take anyone, then what are we going to do at the party?"

"No idea. But hey, even if there won't be any dueling, that doesn't mean that dueling strategies won't work. I guess I'll just have to play each card that I draw and hope for the best."

* * *

"Brother, I'm glad that you're going to go to the party, but is the mask really necessary? Really?" Fubuki looked down at the custom mask that he'd ordered and had just arrived; it was elaborated but not ostentatious, half black and white but not in a simple bisected way. The patterns on the mask were elaborate and the physical shape of the mask itself would make the wearer seem like a grinning loon.

"Well sis, the idea is for everyone to have a good time and to be able to forget what's been happening lately, if only for a little while. It would be good for everyone to see me walking about and smiling, but..." Fubuki traced a finger across one of the scars lining his lips. "I just have this feeling that my regular smile just won't look right. Not for now anyway."

"I suppose you're right about that. But Brother," Asuka said as she sighed, "whether you're hiding in this room or behind that mask, you're still hiding. There's a darkness here on this island, and we're going to need all the light we can get in order to fight it. It doesn't have to be today or tomorrow or anytime right away, but you're going to have to show yourself to everyone again. I know that you can do it; you always smile so freely for Ryoko and all my friends and you always make sure they have a good time whenever they visit you. Please, just think about it, okay? I have to go get ready for the party tonight. See you there." Fubuki watched as his sister left, noticing that in spite of the heavy atmosphere that she'd provided, she was light on her feet. He smiled, since while Asuka had frequently been invited to and attended parties, this was the first time that she really looked forward to it.

"I wonder if Judai has anything to do with that?" It was at that moment that Nurse Ayukawa came back from the cafeteria, carrying three bento boxes.

"Oh, I see Asuka has already left. Well, then it'll be just you and me for this meal Fubuki."

"Trust me, Miss Ayukawa, when it's you, its never 'just you'." Ayukawa stifled a small giggle. They ate their lunches, then Fubuki asked for some alone time, which Ayukawa was willing to give him. He then took out his deck, and looked at his cards; in particular, the Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon.

"Light against darkness..." Then he looked at his mask. "Hiding myself...well, there is no hurry, and besides, can't let my fans see me get worried like this; it'd be out of my character, and my fans deserve better then that." He said with a simple smile on his face.

* * *

"What do you think Misawa? Do these dresses look good on us, or are they too showy?" For the life of him, Misawa could not understand, recall, explain, or even account for his current situation; somehow, he'd been roped into helping Junko and Momoe pick out their dresses for the party and in what he suspected was common for all men in his situation, it was taking far too long.

"They show the same amount of skin that the other dresses did; the only thing that's changed is the color of the fabric. Besides, this is an informal party; I doubt anyone else is going to show up in anything but their uniforms."

"Really? You honestly think that?" Junko leaned in on Misawa. "Maybe the guys will, but even Asuka will wear something slightly different then her official uniform; true, she'll probably just add some minor bit of jewelry or something, but my point stands. Now come on, answer the question seriously."

"Fine," Misawa sighed. "But when I do, I want to talk to you about something we can both agree on is important. Is that acceptable?"

"Sure, why not? Now start talking."

"Remember, this is my honest assessment of your outfits for the evening...I believe that the both of you will be well received by everyone and with any luck you'll be the talk of Duel Academia the next morning."

"Honestly," Momoe said as she smiled, "was that really so hard to say? Now then, we do have some time before we need to go, so what was it you wanted to talk with us about Misawa?"

"Well, it really is more something to discuss with Junko. No, it's not what you're thinking." Misawa focused his attention on Junko as Momoe looked on confusedly. "Have you had any luck in communicating with a duel spirit? I've tried to communicate with the Nine-Tailed Fox, but aside from some hazy sensations I haven't had much luck. What about you?"

"Whoa, hold on a second Misawa, why are you just asking Junko? What makes you think that I haven't been talking to any spirits lately?" Momoe asked in what was most certainly not a huff.

"I'm testing a hypothesis, that those of us who dueled against our enemies directly will have been changed by the experience." Misawa looked straight at Junko. "We both dueled against Kazuki, the Mirage of Deceit, and I know that near the end of my duel that the Nine-Tailed Fox tried to warn me to avoid making the move that lost me the duel. Did anything of that sort happen with you, Junko?" Junko sat down as she responded, bringing her eyes level with Misawa's.

"Well, I did get the feeling that Athena was real when I summoned her, and when she was destroyed, it was like she reassured me that I was about to win. But aside from my Athena card feeling a little more warmer then before, I haven't been able to contact her spirit or anything like that."

"Ah, then its the same with me and Hayako; I happened upon her earlier today and asked her what I asked you, and she said that when she looked down at Swift Gaia she could hear hoofbeats, but couldn't see anything at all. For whatever reason, it seems like Judai and Asuka are the only ones who can see and communicate with their spirits. Since Judai is in Osiris Red and Asuka is in Obelisk Blue, I doubt it has to do with our assigned dorms."

"Well, maybe there's something special about their Kuriboh cards? I mean, Judai did get his from the Duel King himself, and he has always been interested in Asuka's; so there might have been something special to them from the moment they were made."

"Or possibly Judai and Asuka themselves were special to begin with. After all, we have to consider the possibility that..." It was at this time that Momoe left the room to go to the party; true, she would be early, but at least she could claim to be fashionably so.

* * *

"Let the festivities begin everyone!" Fubuki called out, his mask not muffling his voice at all. "If any of you out there are not smiling, then I, Fubuking, will see to it that the light of happiness and joy shall return to your face!" Everyone applauded Fubuki, who had appeared in the middle of the stage from within a plume of blue smoke. Asuka sighed, but smiled; this was just like Fubuki, and it'd had been quite some time since he'd fully been himself.

"Asuka." She turned to face Manjoume, and noticed that he seemed more nervous then usual; it was weird, since as a member of the Manjoume family he should have attended far more and more formal occasions then this one. His suit and tie spoke to that fact. "There are some things that I want to ask you, and this seemed like a good occasion to do so. Do you think...that we can talk? Privately?"

"Is it really something that important Manjoume? Don't worry, I'm pretty sure we can find an out of the way corner and talk. But remember, that's all we're going to do, okay?" Asuka said this with a wink, and for a moment Manjoume had the look of a man who's presumed deepest secrets were in fact public knowledge. "Woah, was that a little too relaxed? I know I tend to be a little formal, but-!"

"No!" Manjoume suddenly cried out, louder then he'd intended; fortunately enough, everyone else was occupied with their own plans and conversations. "I mean, it's good to know that you and your brother aren't complete opposites. Not that there would be anything wrong you were, I just...can we just have this conversation?"

Asuka nodded, and the two Obelisk Blue elites made their way to an isolated corner where, despite the best efforts of the staff the sound of the music was unable to reach loud and clear.

"Okay Manjoume, what's up?" Asuka said in as light a manner as she could manage. "I know that you wouldn't call me out like this if it weren't something really important. Is it a re-match?"

"Re-match?"

"For the tournament. You have to admit, our duel really didn't let us showcase our true abilities; it was over too quick for that to happen."

"Oh, that duel. No, while I would have liked to have to have won that one, the fact was that I was being...inconsiderate." Asuka looked at him intently as Manjoume continued to speak. "We, Judai and all of us, we'd all agreed to not burden you unduly during Fubuki's disappearance, but I emulated Fubuki too intently, and you called me on my...I believe you called it 'preening'?"

"Ah, that. I was in a very bad place right then. Thankfully, Judai was able to talk some sense into me during our duel, with his cards and his voice."

"Yes, Judai. He does seem to have that sort of talent. But, he's not who I wanted to talk about. Do you think..." Manjoume then turned his head away, not looking directly at Asuka. "Do you think that your brother would approve of me?"

"Approve of you?" Asuka cocked her head quizzically. "For what?"

"For, well..." Just as Manjoume was about to compose himself enough to speak...

"HEY ASUKA! THERE YOU ARE!" The two Obelisk Blue students turned in the direction of of the familiar, though oddly slurred voice to see that Judai was dragging Shou towards them. As he got closer, it was apparent that his face was rather flushed and his balance was suffering, though not cripplingly so. He then turned his head towards Shou and spoke again, though this time he did not yell. "See Shou, I told you you had to act quick; if I hadn't brought you here, then Manjoume would have already made his move and then where would you be?"

"But bro, you've completely misunderstood; I don't like...er, I mean, not that way..." Shou very pointedly avoided looking at Asuka as he said this, and Asuka began to get a strong suspicion of what was going on. But there was still the matter of Judai's odd behavior...

"Judai! What is the meaning of this!?" Manjoume was very manifestly incensed, and for good reason. "Can't you see that Asuka and I are trying to have a private conversation? If I didn't respect you as my rival, I would-" Manjoume was cut off as Asuka put her hand before him, and asked Judai a simple question; it was a question that came to her when she noticed the way her brother was hovering around a nearby punchbowl.

"Judai, did you have any of the punch?" Judai then looked up, as though in deep thought. Then he stepped in to Asuka, much closer then she found comfortable.

"I...think I did, but between you and me, I think the spike was punched. Wait...punched spike? Isn't that a card? It sounds like some really rare card to me. Say Asuka, do you think that if I got that card, that you'd be willing to trade your Kuriboh for it?" Judai said all this with a loopy smile on his face; as a Tenjouin, Asuka had been to enough formal occasions to recognize the effects of alcohol, but what was shocking to her was that she could barely smell any on Judai's breath! She quickly stepped back and gave Fubuki a sharp look that he knew well; it only took him a moment to arrive, and even with his mask covering his face, the look of shock was clear in Fubuki's eyes.

"Eh, Judai, dearest friend of my beloved sister, how much...'punch' did you drink?" Then he quickly whispered to Asuka in an aside, "There shouldn't have nearly been enough for anything like this!"

"Uhh, just one cup. It tasted really different to me for some reason, but everyone just kept looking at me funny...say Fubuki, you wouldn't happen to have a Punched Spike card would you? 'Cause Asuka says that she'll trade me Kuriboh if I can get her one...I'm pretty sure I have a bunch of Dragon support cards back in my dorm room that I don't ever plan on using...what do you say?"

"I'd say that you've had one too many, but I've never heard of anyone who couldn't handle just one. Shou, do you believe that you can escort Judai back to his room? I would most appreciate it." But before Shou could respond in any way...

"What??? But the party's only just begun Fubuki, and you know that we've got to stay...stay...what's that word again? Oh well, I'm sure it'll come to me, and then...woah, do you guys hear that?" The band that had been brought in for the party had changed songs; the new number was an odd sort of rap that had become a huge hit in recent years known as 'Mass Destruction'. "That's my favorite song! Ah man, I've got to find someone to dance with...hey Asuka, do you think you can dance with me? I promise not to step on your feet too much!" Judai then attempted to prove that he was as good as his word, and promptly fell onto his face. "Oww, who put a floor here, that's dangerous!" While Judai worked on getting back to his feet, Shou looked apologetically at Manjoume, Asuka, and Fubuki.

"I'm really sorry about this guys, I'll be sure to get bro back to his room, and I'm sure that this'll never happen again, so...Bro!" At some point Judai had gotten back up and was now bowing before Asuka with his hand stretched out.

"I'm feeling a little hazy, but I'm pretty sure that this is how it goes in the movies. Besides, it's not like I'm asking you to play the King's Game with me." Everyone gaped in shock, wondering where on Earth Judai of all people had heard of the King's Game. Then, Asuka started laughing lightheartedly.

"Oh fine, it is a party after all. But just one dance, and then you have to get back to your room."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Judai then made a couple efforts to grab Asuka's hand, but kept missing. Asuka then took the lead and they both went out on the floor. Truth be told, neither of them were at all exceptional dancers, but there was a familiarity to their motions; as their friends watched them, it occured to them that the dance they performed was very much like the one that Elemental Hero Earth and Cyber Angel Amaterasu had performed when Asuka played Double Passe in their duel at the tournament.

* * *

"So," Junko said with a note of bemusement, "I can't help but notice that you're taking this pretty well Misawa." Misawa and Junko were seated, enjoying the catering that had been provided as well as their discussion on the details of Duel Spirits. This discussion had been put on hold when Judai and Asuka started to dance; after 'Mass Destruction' concluded, Judai began to stagger off in the direction of the exit and Asuka had to guide to keep him on his feet. How Judai had managed to avoid stepping on either his own feet or Asuka's during the dance itself, Misawa couldn't say. What he could say though...

"I'll admit, I'm surprised myself. I think that what I felt Asuka was no more then infatuation; and as unpleasent as it is to admit, the outcome of my duel with the Mirage of Deceit showed me that I couldn't let such an irrational, baseless feeling dominate me again. And now...she's still a dear friend of mine and I would never let any harm befall her, but that feeling isn't there anymore."

"Interesting. So was that your first crush, Misawa? It sure sounds like it to me, and unlike a lot of guys I've known, you seem to have gotten over it a lot better and easier then most; I swear, the number of guys I've seen profess their 'love' for me, Momoe, and Asuka, you'd think we littered the ground with broken hearts, but look at them a few days or weeks later, and they don't even remember. Or rather, they remember a version of events where 'we' were let down easy. Honestly, it's nice to know that there are guys out there who's egos aren't so pathetically fragile as that."

Misawa took Junko's words in carefully, going over them piece by piece, analytically, like a philosopher examining a deductive statement; he went over his old attitudes and beliefs, trying to see how, if how, they differed from his current self. Looking back, he saw that there had been a chip on his shoulder; nothing like the one on Manjoume's, but his desire to prove himself went beyond the virtue of skill at his craft. How had he put it back in the first day in Professor Hibiki's class? He wanted to be like the legendary duelist Jounouchi and duel for and protect those close to him, but when that time came, he'd lost sight of that goal, and pursued one that would have cost him everything. Misawa didn't want to be arrogant about it, but surely in acknowledging all this, his ego had surely been strengthened, no longer so insecure.

"Hey Misawa, you don't mind if I take off now, do you? I think I saw Momoe just now, and she looks like she has something she needs to get off her chest." Misawa nodded, and as Junko departed, he took out his PDA and began working on some figures; this, at the very least, he knew that he knew he could rely upon.

* * *

"Thanks Asuka; for some reason, I had a hard time remembering just how to get back to the Osiris Red dorm; I mean, I've been living here for months now, but my feet just wouldn't listen to me. Or something, I'm feeling a little confused." Asuka and Judai were standing just outside the doorway.

"Oh, don't worry about it Judai, it's not something that you could help. And I'll make sure that my brother doesn't spike the punch or anything like that again." Asuka gave Judai a quick wink of confidence.

"Oh, that sounds good, cause the punch was nice and didn't do anything to deserve to get spiked; kind of like how you're such a great duelist, and you never did anything to deserve guys not respecting you."

"Well, it's not quite the same thing, but I do appreciate the sentiment Judai, even though it's not really that big a deal in the scheme of things." Judai shook his head hard and braced himself against the doorway.

"No, it is, 'cause that guy, that Mirage something or other guy, he was all obsessed with you just because of the way that you look, and that's just silly. There's lots and lots of pretty girls on this island and everywhere, but you're the only duelist who's as good as you are! And maybe it's just me, but a girl who kicks ass is really awesome. Say, did I ever mention how Kouyou could never beat Midori? I've seen them duel, and as awesome as Kouyou was, Midori's beyond even him. Do you think that had an effect on me?"

"You know, I think it might have. Well, I should get back before Fubuki shows up from out of nowhere and starts doing his 'brotherly duty'." As Asuka turned away, Judai smiled and waved at her in a goofy manner, then ambled his way back to his room.

* * *

"Ah, so you've decided to drag yourself away from Misawa for a second. I was getting worried, Junko, that you wouldn't be able to pull yourself away from him." Junko had followed Momoe outside, where there was a decided lack of prying eyes.

"Okay, we've both spent a lot of time with Misawa; why are you getting pissed off about it now?" Momoe huffed, turning her nose up at her friend.

"Oh, absolutely nothing; I mean, aside from being told that my input is completely unnecessary and you two wandering off into a different world altogether, why on Earth would I have cause to be even the slightest bit upset?" Junko rolled her eyes, wondering where this spat of idiocy came from.

"Oh come on, the way you're putting it, it's like we're never going to spend any time together ever again. What about right now? Doesn't this moment count for anything?" Momoe looked Junko straight in they eye, not playing up any emotions at all.

"This moment, maybe, but what about the future? I'm not stupid, I can see trends and I can tell where this whole thing is headed." Before Junko could respond, there was a howling of the wind, and a strange voice calling out from the distance. The Ra Yellow girls looked at each other, resolved to put this dispute off to the side for the time being. "Who's out there? Show yourselves!" Neither girl advanced, not wanting to move away from where they knew their friends all were, for the most part. As the owner of the voice approached, it became clearly male.

"I'm sorry, I should have made myself better understood before. What I was saying, is would you like to know your future, as revealed by the great truth?" Hidekazu Takuma stepped into the light, a golden circlet digging into his scalp with painful looking spikes.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Two things; one, Mass Destruction is from Persona 3, a game I whole heartedly recommend to anyone. And second, what is with characters named Takuma in yugioh and them being so obsessed with the future? I mean, I didn't even notice that Hidekazu had the same surname as Saioh until just a little while ago. Weird.


	36. Chapter 36

The Crushing Future, The Prophet's Proclamation

"You! Are you another one of those Dark Duelists or whatever you guys call yourselves?" Takuma smiled benignly at Junko and Momoe.

"You don't know, but that can't be held against you; after all, it is my duty as The Prophet, to enlighten the ignorant, to show them the darkness of the future, and how they will never overcome. It's true, you know; you two will amount to nothing. It was decided by forces far greater then any of us, greater then even myself. My communion with the greater darkness has granted me enlightenment, and if you will grant me this boon, I will bless you with this knowledge, and free you from all concerns of ever trying to accomplish anything ever again." As the two Ra Yellow girls stared at him, Takuma's circlet glowed with a baleful red light, and all around them they could see the phantasmal after images of people walking from place to place, talking, dueling, all things that had and would occur in this spot alone.

"So, is that your shtick, 'Prophet'?" Junko said, scoffing at the image of herself that just passed by, looking downcast, rejected. "Yeah, will it's going to take more then some cheesy light shows to scare us, right Momoe?" Momoe however, glared at an image of herself lying on the ground in defeat.

"All right smart guy; if you really know the future, then when does that happen?" Momoe said, pointing to the image of herself that was now posed in a position of supplication.

"Oh, that?" Takuma took a moment to look at the image. "Why, that is you, and not too long from now; your fate would seem to derive from a petty and base jealousy of your own best friend. Nothing but foolishness of course, since both of you, and all those that are the cause of any strife between you two, are forever irrelevant; the forces I mentioned before, they have decreed that everyone on this entire island will amount to nothing. Thus, it becomes my duty as The Prophet to ease their pain and bring the enlightenment of the darkness. Tell me, Momoe Hamaguchi, are you willing to accept your inevitable failure? Or does this knowledge of your future fall on deaf ears?"

"The future? Yeah, sure it is!" Momoe sneered at the persistent image of herself, who was in fact wasting away, piece by piece torn away. "Guess what? If I kick your ass here and now, it proves that that everything you've been saying is nothing more then a pile of bull! And in case you've been paying too much attention to the future and not looking back at the past, let me fill you in on something; all you're predecessors lost, big time, and there's no reason to think that you're going to be any different. So come on, why don't we do this thing? Unless of course, you're an even bigger wussy then I think you are and can't duel anyone who's seen through your bluff?" Momoe armed her duel disc and stepped forward, narrowing her eyes at her opponent.

"Tsk, tsk." Takuma said this; he did not click his tongue. "I don't why, but I would have expected a member of Ra Yellow to understand and accept fate; it was after all, the great challenge that Malik Ishtar, the previous master of the Sun Dragon Ra, had to overcome. He was himself consumed by hatred, pain, and rage against the fate dictated to him and so he rebelled against it. And now you, though on a much smaller scale, are repeating that same mistake. It seems it is now up to me to deliver you to your fate expediently, that you do not suffer or cause suffering unnecessarily, even though this action will bring pain that I can't stop. Such is fate; such, is the future." As Takuma armed his Duel Disc, a blurring appeared around it, a blurring that was most pronounced wherever the Duel Disc was going to be in the next few seconds.

"Now, I'll begin by playing two cards from my hand; the first, 'A' Cell Breeding Device, will allow me to add an Alien Counter to one of your monsters during each of my standby phases. Furthermore, with 'A' Cell Incubator, any effort to remove an Alien Counter will simply redistribute it to the incubator." As Takuma played each card, a sickening, squelching sound filled the air, and Momoe looked up to see a pair of things that were like amoebas, except that Momoe knew that real earthly amoebas did not look like that. "Yes, I'll just set these two cards, and call it a turn."

"What!? You're not even going to summon a monster? Your hand must be really weak if that's the case."

"Not at all." As he spoke, he gazed at the image of where his Duel Disc would be in the next moment. "This is simply the move that I make, and were I to not follow the future that I have foreseen for myself, I would be nothing but a base hypocrite of the highest order. The Prophet's word is law, even for The Prophet himself. Oh, and since it is now your main phase, I'm going to activate my trap card, The Eye of Truth." A giant pulsing eyeball appeared, nothing at all like the symbolic representation that was found on the actual card, and it shot a beam of light that caused Momoe's hand to become transparent, revealing exactly what her cards were. "Hm, let's see now; Sangan, Goblin King, Dark Jeroid, Second Goblin, Mystic Plasma Zone, and Coffin Seller. Under these conditions, your strategy becomes clear."

"Hah, for someone who claims to know the future, you certainly didn't hesitate to use a card like that. Plus, so long as I keep a spell card in my hand, I'll recover one thousand life points during my standby phase. So really, your card is going to help me far more then it will help you. And be quiet Junko!" Junko was very surprised; she hadn't even moved yet, but she was about to advise her friend to not be so overconfident. "It's not overconfidence damn it! You can win, and so can I; so why don't you just sit back and trust me already!?"

"I wasn't going to say anything like that!" Junko had a nasty, glowering expression on her face. "Just remember that this guy is dangerous and don't be careless!" Junko and Momoe looked each other in the eye, both glaring with determination.

"If that really is all that you're worried about, then just do what I said and watch!" Momoe then turned back to Takuma. "All right Prophet, here's what I'm going to do; I'm going to summon Sangan and attack you directly for one thousand points of damage." The little three eyed devil ran across the field and raked Takuma's chest with its claws as the strange alien life that he'd summoned earlier watched, showing no concern at all for either side. "And now I set one card, and end my turn."

"Indeed, and now with my turn, the Breeding Device activates its effect." The first alien life form suddenly shot out a tentacle that injected itself into Sangan, and in moments an unearthly growth emerged in the back of the demon. "And now that your Sangan possesses an Alien Counter, I can now activate Brainwashing Beam to take control of it." A pale beam of light shot down from the heavens, giving the alien presence in Sangan the strength to take over, control that it used to join Takuma's side. "And on this turn, I will summon Alien Hypno from my hand." 'Alien Hypno' was a grey alien creature with a huge bulbous head, and where the body should have been, there was a tube full of life-sustaining nutrient sustenance for the creature so clearly unsuited for life on earth. "Furthermore, since I know that your face-down card is only Coffin Seller, I need not hesitate; Alien Hypno, Alien within Sangan, attack, and show this foolish one the future that she does not acknowledge!" Alien Hypno shot beams from his eyes and Sangan spewed forth acid, together doing 2700 points of damage. For a moment, the vision of Momoe clawing at the air in failure became solid, and then it resumed it's phantasmal state. "And now, in accordance with Incubation and Brainwashing, the Alien Counter is removed from your Sangan, allowing it to return to you good as new, Brainwashing is destroyed, and the Alien Counter is safely preserved in Incubation." The incubation life form extracted the alien counter, adding that mass to itself. "Now, make the move that I already know you will; the move that you can't help but make, no matter how futile it is." Takuma said, a bland smile on his face as fear began to creep into Momoe's and Junko's hearts unbidden.

* * *

"Oh man, my head...Winged Kuriboh?" Judai hadn't been sleeping long when he was suddenly awoken by a warm and weighty presence on his chest; when he opened his eyes, it was Winged Kuriboh, though all Judai had to do was to pass his hand through his spirit partner to demonstrate that the curious apparition was still only that. Winged Kuriboh then flew up into the air and began to frantically point back towards the party, and Judai was then struck by a vision, a cloud of darkness that seemed to...that seemed to be hiding something. He couldn't be sure, but he knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that friends of his were in trouble, and so even though his head was still aching, he was already out the door, racing his way back to where the party was still ongoing, and where trouble had already descended.

* * *

"You made a big mistake prophet; you should have destroyed Sangan while you had the chance, because your not going to be so lucky again."

"Luck has nothing to do with it; it had nothing to do with my plan, nor to do with the Card Destruction card that you just drew. Everything that has taken place, and will take place, is as it must take place; the future ordained by the great powers above us, is inviolate."

"Oh yeah? Well, just remember that you said that when I kick your ass!" Momoe immediately wished that her voice hadn't wavered just then, making her seem weak and unsure of herself. Damn it all, Junko didn't waver against her opponent, and this guy was no different from that one! "Now, since I have a spell card in my hand, that means I recover one thousand life points from Eye of Truth's effect." A pale green light shot out from the eye of truth, washing over Momoe. "Next, I play Mystic Plasma Zone!" The crackling of lightning filled the field as terrible storm clouds surrounded the duelists, filling Sangan with strength and 500 attack points. "And now I play Card Destruction, sending all the cards in our hands to the grave and letting us draw new hands equal in size to the old ones. Furthermore, I now activate Coffin Seller, so if any monsters get sent to your graveyard, you take three hundred points of damage." Despite seeing her Coffin Seller strike true, Momoe was briefly frustrated; while she had no idea what change had occurred to the Prophet's hand, he could see what she'd gained clear as day; Winged Minion, Archfiend of Gilfer, and Swords of Concealing Light.

"Yes, this too was foreseen, and indeed ordained by the higher powers of darkness." As he said this, Takuma gazed upwards and reverently at the Alien life that he'd summoned to the field, a reverence that was given no response in turn.

"Then you've foreseen the damage I'm about to deal to you! I sacrifice Sangan to summon Archfiend of Gilfer, and with Sangan's effect I add Mystic Tomato to my hand. Plus, with Mystic Plasma Zone, my Archfiend now has twenty-seven hundred attack points. Archfiend, attack Alien Hypno!" The demon flew across the field and smashed Alien Hypno's life sustaining components, causing it to writhe as it died. Coffin Seller's effect activated again, bringing Takuma's life points down to 1400.

"Indeed, this is the appearance of a worthwhile effort that might seem to subvert your fate, but the sublime truth that runs beneath it is undeterred. Now that it's back to my turn, the Breeding Device will resume its work." The Archfiend of Gilfer tried to resist, but it was for naught, and the infection set in, as it was meant to. "Next I summon Alien Psychic in defense mode." It was a tiny frail creature, its head overly larger then the rest of its spindly body, most of which was not much more then three thin tentacles. "So long as Alien Psychic is on the field, no monster with an Alien Counter on it can attack. The truth knows truth, and will not violate itself. I set one card to end my turn." Alien Psychic's eyes glowed, and the Archfiend of Gilfer froze in place, unmoving.

"My turn." The light of the Eye of Truth shined upon Momoe again, renewing her strength. The fact that The Prophet could now see her newly drawn Minor Goblin Official was not something she dwelled upon.

* * *

"Kuriboh, you have to slow down so I can understand what you're trying to say." Kuriboh, who had been frantically hopping about, calmed down and projected the image of a rushing river that was dangerously close to flooding, and in the path of the river...were Junko and Momoe! "Kuriboh, show me the way!" Asuka ran for a while, following Kuriboh as it flew ahead of her, and before long it was joined by Winged Kuriboh. Which meant...

"Asuka!" Asuka smiled as Judai came into view, looking only slightly hung over. "Funny seeing you out here." Judai returned the smile.

"Yes, well I felt like walking after escorting you back. But it seems we should have been back at the party much earlier."

"Don't worry Asuka, our friends can take care of themselves. We're just going to-whoa!" Judai tripped over a poorly placed root and nearly crashed into Asuka. However, she was quick enough to keep that from happening and caught him before he could fall onto his face. "Thanks Asuka!" Judai took a moment to notice how strong Asuka's arms were, a moment to right himself, a moment to look Asuka in the eye; then the two resumed running towards the darkness.

* * *

"Momoe!"

"Don't worry Junko, I've got this!" Momoe averted her eyes away from the now more numerous visions of herself collapsed in defeat and focused her attention on The Prophet. "I summon Mystic Tomato in attack mode and have him destroy your Alien Psychic so that my Archfiend can attack directly!" Mystic Tomato rolled across the ground, grinning madly, but before it could reach the offending alien, a tentacle shot out of the Archfiend of Gilfer, infecting the Mystic Tomato with the same Alien infection, which gave the Psychic alien the strength to hold it in place.

"My trap card, Alien Counterbreeding; if one of your monsters has an Alien Counter on it, then I can add an Alien Counter to all of your other monsters. The truth will spread, and all that hear it, will aid it. Such is the will of the higher powers that be."

"You might have stopped my attacks this turn, but don't forget about my Minor Goblin Official; It'll deal five hundred points during each of your standby phases, and all the Alien Counters in the world won't do anything about that." Momoe then smiled sinisterly. "Or as you would put it, your defeat is inevitable!" Mere moments after drawing his card, The Prophet was confronted by a big fat goblin who promptly 'taxed' him of 500 life points. At the same time, the Archfiend of Gilfer's infection grew worse as another alien life form grew in addition to the one already within it.

"Ah, yes, that trap of yours would destroy me in only two more turns; fortunately enough, it has already been resolved since before you played that card. I now summon the Alien Telepath." It was a burning red creature, built rather like a slug, though no slug from Earth ever had a massive jaw filled razor sharp teeth. "And now for Alien Telepath's effect; by removing an Alien counter from the field, I can destroy one spell or trap from your side." The second alien within the Archfiend was extracted, its poisonous mass used to destroy the Minor Goblin Official before being added to the Incubator. "And now I set one card to end my turn." Momoe drew her next card, Demon Draw. "And now I activate the trap I set, Bad Reaction to Simochi, which reverses all healing effects." The once pleasent light of the Eye of Truth was now painful beyond anything that Momoe could compare it against; it transcended targeting the body, the mind, or even the soul. It simply...attacked.

* * *

"Manjoume, be quiet for a moment; I think my spirit is trying to speak to me." Manjoume was understandebly frustrated with Misawa; most of the time, the man was an island of rationality in the sea of madness that was Duel Academia, but there were times when he could be just as insane as all the rest of them. Including himself, Manjoume had to admit in all fairness.

"I see; tell me, is your spirit imparting the secret of eternal youth, or only that friendship is everything?" Misawa ignored Manjoume; he had to focus all his attention to understand what the Nine Tailed Fox was trying to tell him, and then he saw it!

"Manjoume! Just outside, we have to hurry! The enemy is attacking!" At that moment, all snark left Manjoume, and as the two of them ran, they were joined by Hayako and Shou.

"You felt it too?" Misawa nodded at Hayako and in the next moment the four of them exited the building. Shortly thereafter, they arrived at the site of the duel, where Judai and Asuka had just arrived as well. And between them all were the two duelists.

"Takuma!" Manjoume yelled out, but The Prophet gave no response, focusing only on Momoe.

"Guys!" Junko had an intense look of relief on her face. "Maybe now that you're here you can talk some sense into Momoe." Momoe then glared at Junko.

"Junko, for the last time I don't need any sense talked into me! I'm on the verge of winning this duel and there's nothing that this guy can do about it." Momoe then looked back at The Prophet, who was unmoved. "You see, The Prophet, Demon Draw allows me to discard a monster in my hand to add one demon type monster from my deck to my hand. So I'll just drop this Winged Minion to add Dark Necrofear to my hand. And now I remove Winged Minion, Dark Jeroid, and Sangan from play to special summon Dark Necrofear!" As the Dark Necrofear manifested on the field, everything became cold as the haunting melody of the mannequin resonated with everyone. "Dark Necrofear starts off at twenty-two hundred attack points, and with Mystic Plasma Zone, that rises to twenty-seven hundred, and since she doesn't have an Alien Counter, your Alien Psychic can't stop the attack. Plus, since you have only nine hundred life points left, destroying your Alien Telepath is all I need to do to win. So, is this the future you foresaw, Prophet?"

"Why, yes. Right down to the last detail, including the arrival of all your friends to witness your defeat."

"Bullshit! You've run out of traps that could stop me, and I won't fall for your bluff. Dark Necrofear, attack Alien Telepath!" Dark Necrofear opened its eyes very slightly, and thin beams of death shot out. But before they could reach their target, a soul of an Alien Monster appeared and intercepted it, looking almost like a human save for the mouths lining its whole body.

"I now remove from play the Alien Visionary that you sent to my grave when you played Card Destruction to activate its effect; I now add an Alien Counter to your Dark Necrofear and for every Alien Counter on your side of the field, I get to add an additional counter to the Incubator." Tentacles lashed out from every orifice, infecting even Dark Necrofear with their terrible virulence as the Incubator's mass grew even more and more.

"...Then I'm going to play Swords of Concealing Light so that your Bad Reaction to Simochi won't work against me." Swords of the blackest light descended onto The Prophet's side of the field, causing both his monsters to fade away as their cards were flipped into face down defense position. "And don't forget, you can't change the battle position of your cards for as long as the Swords are on the field, so you can't bring your Aliens against me."

"Ah, but in so doing, you've sealed your fate quite absolutely; to demonstrate this, I play the Field Spell Card, Ruins of the Future." Everyone looked up as they heard a deep rumbling in the air; then massive spikes shot down, chains lined with strange runes not of this earth. Wherever the spikes struck, the ground warped, becoming something that could not hope to sustain plants or trees, or indeed any life at all. "Now, by removin my Alien Incubator from play and the five Alien counters on it, I can activate Ruins of the Future, and activate one card from my deck. In this case, Mass Brainwashing." The alien spikes began to hum as an Alien life forms were extracted from the incubator and injected into the unnatural devices. A baleful red light bathed the field, and when everyone could see again all of Momoe's monsters were now on The Prophet's side of the field, fully dominated by the alien presences within them. "Consider for a moment your strategy, and see where it failed to change your fate in the slightest; the Archfiend of Gilfer, which destroyed in battle will weaken the strongest monster on my side of the field. The Mystic Tomato, which when destroyed allows you to special summon your Legendary Fiend, which grows stronger every turn. And then there is Dark Necrofear, which when destroyed allows you to take control of one of my monsters; all monsters designed to punish me for destroying them. And yet, at no point in this duel did I ever attempt such a thing. You only saw one method of defeat, and that is why you lost. Harbingers of the truth, make the foolish one wise." As Momoe's monsters attacked her, Dark Necrofear held back; it was not enough, as the Archfiend and Mystic Tomato were sufficient on their own, but Momoe noticed it, and smiled briefly.

"I knew...I knew...I knew..." As Momoe's life points dropped to zero, Junko ran to her friend's side.

"Momoe!" As Junko wrapped her arms around her friend, Athena appeared to shield them. But the instant Momoe's life points hit zero, they were all enveloped in darkness, and when the light returned they were gone. A moment later images of Junko and Momoe appeared on the field, each in poses of supplication and fear.

"I'd say that was an unexpected boon, but I knew that that was coming." The Prophet said in an even tone, the blood rolling over his face like a mask as his circlet dug deeper and deeper into his skull.

"All right Takuma, you've had your 'fun'." Manjoume stepped forward, placing himself between The Prophet and Junko. "But you've taken your conspiracy rantings too far, and now I, Jun Manjoume, will defeat you once more!"


	37. Chapter 37

Past to The Future, The Cage of Fate

"Ah, Manjoume; I was informed by the higher powers that you would continue your pernicious denial of the truth, even when faced with this demonstration of my power."

"Plus, all that you've done so far is a cheap parlor trick." Manjoume sneered dismissively at his opponent.

"What I've done, is nothing more then forever binding the foolish ones to their fate. They will always be ahead of all of you, a position that should inspire much envy in all of you. After all, who among us does not wish to embrace their fate this very instant?" Manjoume sneered at The Prophet.

"And of course, you'll be the one to graciously inform us of what that fate is? Unfortunately for you, I don't need your help. I know my fate, for I'm the one who makes it, and that fate includes defeating you!" Then The Prophet smiled, a strange expression on his blood soaked face.

"Oh Manjoume, you can be so amusing when you want to be. But...why on Earth should I even humor your challenge? You are no threat to me." Manjoume became livid for a moment, but held himself in place.

"Forgetting so soon, are we Takuma? I've defeated you twice over, and I've only become stronger since then. Whoever it was that recruited you, is about to be sorely disappointed." Manjoume armed his Duel Disc, but The Prophet made no such move in turn. He looked disdainfully at Manjoume, as though he were looking at an overly presumptuous child.

"Ah, of course, I got ahead of myself; being The Prophet, I forgot that your sight is not as developed as mine. Tell me, Manjoume, when you think of the future, what is it you think of? Do you consider tomorrow, the day after? Five years, ten, that sort of thing? Because if you do, then your conception of the future is hopelessly hidebound. Allow me to show you what I mean." His circlet glowed red, and a wave of darkness washed over everyone in an instant, and when it passed, the landscape changed; it was the dining room of western style manor. At one end of the table were a man and a woman, both dressed in expensive business clothes, and at the other were three boys; two of the boys looked to be around the same age, though they were not identical, possibly fraternal twins. And the third boy...

"Manjoume, is that you?" Judai cried out in surprise; there was at least a six year difference between the Manjoume he knew, and the boy with the familiar spiked black hair at the dinner table, but they were clearly one and the same.

"Takuma, what is the meaning of this! What are you aiming for with this trick of yours?" The look in Manjoume's eyes told a different story; they were wavering, taking in every detail of the illusion surrounding them, at times seeming to anticipate what they saw.

"Shh, patience Manjoume. Let this scene from your past play out for awhile before you ask questions; you might find them answered for you in anticipation." There was then a sensation of movement, and it became clear that the scene before everyone had been held in place until that moment, when it began to play out to whatever inevitible end it would.

* * *

"Chosaku," the Manjoume patriarch said after he swallowed a particularly delicious shrimp cocktail, "your tutor tells me that you've provided an exemplerary report on North and South Korea, and have even proposed some interesting ways to help the two countries unify." Chosaku stood up and bowed before his father.

"Thank you Father; I was surprised by many of the things that Mrs. Yon told me about had happened, especially the things involving our own country; therefore, I wish to focus my studies onto Politics, for the good of the world and for the good of the Manjoume group."

"Ah, my eldest son is so noble hearted." The Manjoume Matriarch practically cooed. "And now Shoji, who came so quickly after his elder brother, I understand that you too have something to tell us, something that your tutor showed great pride in?" Shoji stood up as his brother sat back down and bowed to his mother.

"Yes; Mrs. Chono and I've been going over the industrial practices that have been taking place over the past half century, and have begun work on ways to reverse the environmental damage that has been done to our home. I will revolutionize the world of industry, for the good of the world, and for the good of the Manjoume group."

"Shoji, you are truly wise beyond your years; I can tell that when the time comes, the Manjoume group will be in good hands." The dinner proceeded quietly for a while, and then Jun coughed, drawing all attention to himself.

"Mother, Father," Jun said in a small voice unlike the one he used as his present self, but as he spoke the young Jun Manjoume showed the signs of who he would grow up to be. "Yesterday I participated in a Duel Monsters tournament, and I won! There were a bunch of kids there who'd been at it for a long time, but I beat them all!" Jun's mother and father looked at each other quizzically.

"Duel Monsters?" Jun's mother said. "Isn't that that game that the Kaiba boy plays?" Jun's eyes lit up at the mention of Seto Kaiba, though this went unnoticed by his family.

"Yes, as a matter of fact it is; it seems that even when there is no connection by blood, a Kaiba can't help but be at least a little mad. And yet, there is method to madness sometimes; Jun!" Jun stood at attention before his father. "This tournament you participated in; how large was it? How many competitors and from where?"

"Well, it was just a local tournament, no more then forty altogether. But there was this guy there, the newest world champion; his name's Kouyou Hibiki, and we didn't get to duel him of course, but he participated in an exhibition match with this other guy, he was really skinny and had this super long black pony-tail, and seeing Kouyou duel him was incredible. One day, I'm going to duel Kouyou, and take his title from him!" Jun's mother applauded her son's passion, and then turned to her husband.

"Do you hear that, Ikkaku? There was a world champion observing Jun. That could very easily be built upon."

"Indeed it could, Ritsuko. Tell me Jun, do you believe that you will be able to use your 'Dueling' for the good of the Manjoume group?" Jun's eyes were wide and shining, as though he hadn't dared to hope that things would go so well for him.

"Of course, mother, father! I'll use my dueling to show everyone the strength of the Manjoume group!" Jun returned to his seat, beaming and unaware of the glaring he was now receiving from his brothers. The vision then vanished, leaving behind the present reality.

* * *

"Manjoume, were those your parents? You've never talked about them before." Shou was the first to speak, and at the sound of that voice, Manjoume reacted.

"Please, those...constructs were nothing more then meager illusions! You might have been able to fool someone else with those cheap tricks of yours, but I'm plainly made of stronger stuff." Manjoume's voice sounded confident, but Judai, Misawa, and Asuka could hear the undercurrent of fear that he was trying to overcome.

"Oh? You weren't satisfied? Ah yes, that's right." The Prophet snapped his fingers and the illusion returned, frozen. The Prophet walked up to Manjoume's father and pointed at the shrimp cocktail in his hand. "This should have been a fried prawn; it was your father's favorite." He snapped his fingers, and the shrimp became a prawn, as though it had always been so. "And the chandelier, should be somewhat more ornate. And there were three candelabras on your dining room table, not two. Is this accurate, Manjoume? Or is there anything else you take issue with this vision? Perhaps you were not seated quite so closely to your brothers, or smile was even more beaming then I depicted it. Tell me Manjoume, is there any hidden cause for doubt in the reach of my power? Or do I have to explain the truth that you do not understand to you?" With each change, alteration, tweak that The Prophet had worked upon the scene, Manjoume became more and more unnerved.

"Enough of this! What the hell is the point of this? So you found out about this day, big deal! There's nothing even remotely shameful about it, so I don't know why you're even bothering with all this chicanery!"

"Chicanery? Why do you still seek to diminish my work, Manjoume? Is it, that it's not enough for you that you do not wish to know the truth, but that you must also tear down any and all those who would enlighten the masses? But then, I do know why you seek to deny this scene; after all, it is only the first act, and no tragedy can ever skip that phase of the narrative."

"Tragedy?" Asuka stepped forward as Manjoume stepped back from her. "Did something happen to your family?"

"Ah, indeed it did. But you don't need to take my word for it; Manjoume can tell you what happened. Well Manjoume, do feel that you are willing to share with your friends the truth of where you come from?" Manjoume glared back at The Prophet, his anger overcoming his fear.

"Do you really think I'd have a problem with that, _Takuma_? Listen up everyone, because I'll only say it once; my parents were on a flight to Tibet when a metorite struck the engine and caused the plane to crash. They both died and my brother's took over the Manjoume group in their stead and they have since then done an exemplerary job of leading us all into the future. And while the pressure that they put on me may be a bit much for the common man, I have no doubt that I will become a duelist that can show the world the strength of the Manjoume Group!" Despite the fact that he was in no mood to receive sympathy, everyone on the field looked at Manjoume with it in their eyes. The Prophet, however, looked upon Manjoume evenly, disdainfully. His voice however, was still even.

"This is what I deserve for thinking that you would do differently then what was ordained for you. Truly the powers that be can seem cruel in the fates that they create for us."

"What are you talking about! I said everything exactly as it happened!"

"Exactly, as it happened? Let us see if that is truly the case." The Prophet snapped his fingers, and a new illusion took shape and began to play for everyone.

* * *

"Mom! Dad!" Jun, now 12 years old, ran through the manor carrying his latest trophy in his arms. He ran to their office, hoping that they would be there; they'd left for Tibet over a week ago, and they were supposed to be back by now. And since he'd won, they had to be back! He could see it in his mind's eye, the pride in his father's smile, the joy in his mother's eyes, and the knowledge that these things would happen because of him made him beam with joy. Jun slammed the doors open, making a great deal of noise.

"What the hell is wrong with you Jun!" Shoji barked at Jun from behind their father's desk; while their parents were away, Shoji and Chosaku were tasked with handling the more minor functions of the Manjoume group; Jun himself was exempt from these activities, since Dueling took up so much of his time. "Some of us are trying to do real work, unlike you, wasting your time with that worthless dueling nonsense!"

"Shut up Shoji!" Jun balked at his brother's declaration. "Mom and Dad appreciate what I'm doing, and they see how much good I'll do for the Manjoume group, so I don't care what you think!"

"Is that so?" Shoji stood up and walked around the desk to approach Jun. "So, as long as Mom and Dad indulge you, you'll waste your life away? Fine, we were going to try and spare your feelings for as long as we could, but if you're going to be such a little brat about it, then let me shatter all your illusions; Mom and Dad are-!"

"Shoji! Jun!" Chosaku yelled out from just outside the office; he had just gotten back from a brief trip to the wine celler, and was clearly not in any sort of mood to deal with either of his brothers.

"Chosaku, Shoji was going to say something bad about Mom and Dad, I just know it! I think we should make him be our slave for a week so we don't tell on him!" Chosaku glared at Jun, which silenced him immediately. Then he turned to Shoji.

"Why don't you get back to work on those projections Shoji? You know that the Garam group will need that information if the deal is to go through." Shoji sighed and got back behind the desk to resume his work. Chosaku then lead Jun out and took him to the study, where all of his other trophies were kept; he then took the one that Jun was still holding from it, and put it in its place.

"Shit." Shoji looked at the family portrait that had been taken last year. "Damn it Shoji, you just had to open your big damn mouth."

"Chosaku?" Jun was worried, really worried; this wasn't at all like Shoji.

"Well, while I'm not going to be as harsh and insensitive about out as our brother was going to be, it looks like I'm going to have to tell you the truth. Mom and Dad, they're not coming back." It only took an instant, but Jun had already created an explanation or two in his mind for that statement.

"So, their flight got delayed? Or they hit a bureaucratic snag?" Chosaku sighed, grumbling into his hand.

"Jun, you're twelve now; you know what I'm trying to tell you." Jun knew, but he refused to cry; his brothers hated that. "Now, it doesn't have to be today or tommorow, but sometime soon you're going to have to give up this dueling nonsense and beging preparing yourself for real work."

"Give up Dueling? I can't ever do that!" Jun couldn't believe it; Chosaku said that he wasn't trying to be cruel, and he says this after what he said about their mother and father?! "Mom and Dad, they're in heaven right now, and I have to make them proud of me. And my dueling, that's what makes them proud of me. I have to be the greatest duelist, so that even in heaven they'll know my name!"

"Jun, you are making this difficult. We're dropping this conversation for the time being, but remember; you're going to have to give up this worthless game that Mom and Dad let you indulge in and begin doing real work." Chosaku marched out of the study, and Jun fell to his knees, looking up at the trophies that marked all his victories as though he were in a shrine dedicated to his parents.

* * *

"Yes Manjoume, I'd say this shows quite nicely that you were...creative in your statement on your own history. That pressure you mentioned you were under? Not quite what you would have had us believe, now was it?"

"Geh, you would have to be a fool to read my brother's words so literally! They say what they say and do what they do only to encourage me through adversity!"

"Which is why they declared that they would remove you from Duel Academia if you lost another duel after your pitiful loss against Asuka? And why they hired a member of the Underground league to defeat you in order to make that a reality? Come now Manjoume, if you don't believe what you say, how can you expect us to?" As Manjoume wiped the sweat from his brow, he noticed the way that everyone was looking at him now; there was concern, worry in their eyes. "Stop that! I'm Jun Manjoume, and my pride is determined only by myself!" He then stuck out his arm and pointed at The Prophet. "Takuma, I don't know how you've found out about all this, but I swear I will defeat you and find your spy and destroy them!"

"Oh Manjoume, do I have to spell it out for you? I'm The Prophet; I am gifted by the higher powers with the knowledge of the truth, of the future. And from a sufficiently distant viewpoint in the past, all things are in the future. All things are determined, and are known by me. Tell me, Manjoume, do you really believe that if I know your past and your present, that your future is at all obscure or foggy to me?" The Prophet's circlet glowed again, and an image of Manjoume appeared; his outfit was ragged and his eyes were tired. He clearly hadn't showered in days as his hair drooped over his eyes. And yet he continued dueling, even though his hands were now bloody. Then, standing towering over him, were his brothers. "They will work you to the bone Manjoume. They will take your pride and never let you rest. You will be a slave and have nothing for yourself. Every victory you earn will only trap you deeper and deeper into a meaningless life. All who see you will have nothing but pity for you and all duelists. They will regard the art of the duel as something shameful and to be avoided. Then, as you reach your nadir, you will finally be defeated. Even though you will by then detest dueling, when it is torn from you you will be nothing; you will be a drone in your brother's service for the rest of your days." The Prophet snapped his fingers, and the now emaciated, bloody image of Manjoume vanished. "That, is the future you will create for yourself through dueling. That is your pride, that is the strength you bring to the Manjoume group, and that is what the love of your parents brings you. Well, I've said my piece. Are you still willing to duel now that you know the truth, Manjoume?"

"What are you talking about?" Judai yelled out. "Of course Manjoume will duel you! He knows that you're just trying to scare him and why should we believe you? You're the bad guy!"

"Shut up!" Manjoume shoved Judai out of the way. "I...I...damn it!" Manjoume fell to his knees. "I can't let that conspiracy obsessed bastard win, but...but...damn it!" Manjoume then saw everyone: Judai, Asuka, Misawa, and Fubuki. He saw them throwing away their decks and their Duel Discs, declaring that they could no longer do something so shameful.

"Heh, I would wonder how long your stubborness would hold out, but I already know the answer to that. Seven, six, five, four, three-!"

"Hold it right there! Mister Manjoume, there is no cause for you to duel a duelist of such meager caliber. I will take care of this ruffian myself!" Everyone turned in the direction of the high voice that addressed them, and saw Professor Chronos De Medici ready for battle.


	38. Chapter 38

Wisdom of Age, The True Future Revealed

"Professor Chronos!" Even Manjoume found himself torn away from his current predicament at the sight of his professor; the man was dressed in what he imagined was an Italian nobleman's outfit dating from the sixteenth century, which meant that even on this night, he stood out against all others.

"Yes, I know, I should have been here sooner, but I was caught up in questioning Miss. Watsuki. Now then, Mr. Takuma-"

"I am The Prophet, and you will address me as such." Professor Chronos narrowed his eyes at Takuma, not giving him any ground.

"Mr. Takuma, Miss. Watsuki told me some very interesting things about what happened to her; you will stand down, release Miss. Hamaguchi from wherever you've hidden her, and then you will confirm the truth of what Miss. Watsuki said."

"Is that true, Professor Chronos?" There was a measure of hope in Hayako's voice. "Misa was able to remember something?" Then The Prophet spoke as though Hayako hadn't said anything.

"You would have me believe that you would listen to that fool? She distorts the truth with her every breath, simply by being; she could not handle the power of the darkness and was controlled by it. Unlike me, The Prophet, who has the wisdom to see past all lies."

"So you claim, Mr. Takuma. And yet, I can't help but think that you've missed something important, something that would completely reverse your perspective of what is really happening, not only with regards to yourself, but to this island and even the very game of Duel Monsters itself."

"Ah, so now you would like me to believe that you are the guardian of a deeper truth, now would you? Unfortunately for you, the great powers that be have entrusted me with their knowledge, and I know in my wisdom that they have not withheld anything from me."

"And that, Mr. Takuma, is how I know that you've been fooled and are fooling yourself; anyone even vaugely familiar with epistemology knows that it is impossible to know that you know everything."

"Only for a normal, lesser human who would turn away from the truth!" Takuma was yelling now, an expression now forming on his face for the first time that night; it was filled with anger and consternation. "And I see that unlike Manjoume, I will have to duel you in order to make the truth clear! There is no doubt that I've achieved the wisdom that I've seeked!" Takuma armed his Duel Disc, and Professor Chronos armed his Duel Coat. "But first, one minor detail that you've been distracting me from." A shell of darkness fell around Manjoume and began to constrict around him. But then something stopped it from finishing the job. No one could see what it was, but it was clear that the darkness was struggling against it.

"Well now, it would seem that Mr. Manjoume was not so shaken up as you wanted him to be. But in any event, I will begin this duel and summon Red Gadget in defense mode to add Yellow Gadget to my hand. Next I'll set two cards and end my turn."

"To think that my future involves me dueling with the likes of you...but it does not matter, this will not take long." The anger and frustration that had overtaken Takuma earlier seemed to be restrained now, though it was still evident in the increased flow of blood from his scalp. "To begin, I will now play the Field Spell Card, Ruins of the Future!" The Alien instruments of unearthly change crashed down once more. "Now I summon Alien Skull in attack mode and play Corruption Cell A." A bony, angular alien appeared, his humanoid body possessing a skull-like shape over his stomach. And even in the purely mechanical body of Red Gadget, the alien infestation found purchase. "And now I activate Ruin of the Future's second effect; by discarding an Alien, in this case Alien Grey from my hand, I activate a trap card from my hand, Interdimensional Warp."

A horrific shriek of pain filled the field as the Alien Devices activated. The space between Alien Skull and Red Gadget twisted and writhed, as did the alien presence within Red Gadget. Then the space snapped, and the two monsters had switched sides. "I'm not finished yet; now by removing the Alien Counter from _my_ Red Gadget, I can use Ruins of the Future to draw one card and show it to you." Takuma turned the card over in his hand, revealing it as Cosmic Horror Gang'iel. "And now I send Alien Mother from my hand to the grave, allowing Ruins of the Future to let me perform an additional summon, and I sacrifice _my_ Red Gadget to summon the Cosmic Horror Gang'iel!" Another alien spike appeared in the air and punctured Red Gadget to the ground, tearing it apart as the Cosmic Horror took form. "Now, with the Cosmic Horror's effect, I will add an Alien Counter to _your_ Alien Skull, reducing its attack by three hundred. Cosmic Horror, show this fool the absolute certainty that I possess!" As the Cosmic Horror rended Alien Skull limb from limb, it also struck Professor Chronos with a spare limb which knocked him to the ground for 1600 points of damage. "Well, that's everything on my end. So, end turn."

"So this is what you're capable of now, Mr. Takuma?" Professor Chronos got back to his feet and rubbed off as much dirt as he could from his suit. "I'm sorry, but you will have to do better then that to defeat me. Even that dropout boy Judai could do better." Takuma took a quick look over at Judai.

"Please, that one is the greatest fool of all, and is of no concern to the future. Let us not bring that one up again."

"Humph. While I agree that he is a fool, he certainly has a role to play at Duel Academia that can't be ignored as you would suggest. The same is true for all the students here, from the Kaiser herself to the dropout boy in question, and your actions are subverting those destinies. And so, in order to defend them, I will make what sacrifices I need to win; I summon Yellow Gadget from my hand to add Green Gadget to my hand, and then I activate Ultimate Offering, allowing me to perform an additional summon for five hundred life points. So I sacrifice my Yellow Gear to summon Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Chimera!" The mechanical monsters body was stocky, rocky, and green. It had three heads that rotated around a base corresponding to the neck, and the yellow head docked into place, roaring to life with 2300 attack points. "And now I play Ancient Gear Drill, allowing me to set a spell card from my deck to the field with the limitation that I can't activate it this turn. That will be all, Mr. Takuma."

"Heh, that will be all indeed. Whatever card you set down will be irrelevant, for I now play Future Ordained! So long as this card is on the field, when I attack a monster that has an Alien Counter on it my Alien is immune to the effects of spells and traps! Cosmic Horror, infect that worthless Antique with the truth and destroy it!" Professor Chronos shook his head as his Chimera was infected.

"Mr. Takuma, this is exactly what I was talking about; if you had acknowledged the drop-out boy, then you would have realized which card I'd set just now. Unfortunately, you didn't. I now activate Limiter Remover!" The Chimera went into overdrive, its frame crackling with energy. It clawed away at the Cosmic Horror's frame and then bit down, finishing it off. "And now, since it was Yellow Gadget that was sacrificed to my Chimera, you will take an additional seven hundred points of damage from your monster's destruction." The Chimera shot out a yellow lance of energy into Takuma, bringing his life points down to Professor Chronos's level. This blast also knocked Takuma across the head, and as he tended to the injury he wiped away much of the blood that covered his face.

"You, you think that proves anything?!" Takuma had now lost all composure and was railing against Professor Chronos. "It might look like you bested me, but that's only because of your ignorance! I have the truth, the real truth, a truth so great and powerful that none can defy it! I will not have this mockery of my work, I will not have it!"

"Oh? Mr. Takuma I was of the impression that your...higher, greater, whatever you want to call it, powers that be _gave you_ your 'truth'. What exactly was this work that you did?" Takuma's face was drawn into a rictus of hate.

"You...you...you're not capable of understanding my work! You're too primitive and hidebound and incapable of accepting the truth! None of you are!"

"That you are so persistent in not offering even a slightest demonstration tells me that you have no work to show, and in my class, that will guaruntee a zero percent on any paper." Takuma's eyes became wide with shock and rage.

"Silence, Professor Chronos! This is not your class room, and I will not be questioned! I now activate the final effect of Ruins of the Future!" A rumbling filled the Earth as the Alien spikes that had been chained into the ground shot out, rising back into the heavens beyond all sight. "When I have no cards in my hand or on the field, I can special summon Alien Death Dream from my deck!" A hot presence filled the field as miniature sun appeared, burning brighter then the genuine article. But in very short order the sun burned out and it crumbled away, leaving behind a humanoid figure with no face; only one giant eye that wheeled about, looking back and forth, served to identify the creature as alive. With 3000 attack points, it was not a trivial creature indeed. "Alien Death Dream, death punishment" Takuma intoned in a low voice as the alien monster summoned a horde of tendrils and tentacles to ensnare the Chimera. "During the end phase, Alien Death Dream can destroy all monsters on the opponent's side of the field, and for each monster so destroyed, the opponent takes five hundred points of damage." The Chimera was torn apart as Professor Chronos was struck by thunderous lashes of energy. As Professor Chronos got back to his feet, he shook his head at Takuma.

"That is an impressive monster, Mr. Takuma, but I'm afraid that it will avail you not. This duel is already mine."

"Don't lie! I can see the truth! You might have caught me off guard with that Limiter Remover, but I know that you can't special summon a monster with enough attack power to face Alien Death Dream, and you don't have enough life points to have Ultimate Offering do anything but leave you open to attack."

"Is that what you think? Allow me to once again show you that your vision of the future is painfully inadequate; first, I summon Green Gadget from my hand to add Red Gadget, and then I pay five hundred life points to summon Red Gadget, adding Yellow Gadget to my hand. And now I activate my other trap card, Level Conversion Lab; I show you a monster from my hand, and then that monster's level is randomly changed to any value from one to six, but if it becomes one, then it is destroyed. So then, let us find out what the fate of my Ancient Gear Golem shall be." A large digital indicator appeared in the air, and numbers began to flash by with incredible speed.

"Four, six, one, three, one, five, four..." Takuma kept counting off, visibly concerned.

"As I suspected, this is something that you can't even pretend to know. While I will admit that you were granted power of a sort, I have a two-fold strength that your 'Shadow Games' could not ever hope to overcome. First, mine is a tried and true strength that has lasted through the ages." The digital indicator then stopped at the number three, allowing Professor Chronos to summon the Golem without a sacrifice. The Golem promptly attacked Alien Death Dream, and they both perished. "And second, I have a cause far more noble then your meager efforts to support your own ego." The gadgets then attacked directly, not only reducing Takuma's life to zero but also breaking the circlet on his head. Before it even hit the ground, it turned to dust and was blown up into the air, along with an undefined presence that spoke to the assembled duelists.

"Well now, it seems that some of you aren't as useless as you would seem to be, and some pawns are less useful then others. This has gone on longer then anticipated, but still well within parameters. And as always, each step brings me closer to my ultimate victory. Until then." The darkness and the gold dust vanished, leaving behind Takuma. A moment later Junko and Momoe reappeared, and the dark shell that Manjoume was trapped in was blown away, revealing that he was being shielded by the Light and Darkness Dragon. Takuma then fell to his knees and struck the ground with his fist.

"Damn it, the hell was that?! How could I have been a mere pawn? Damn it! It wasn't ever supposed to be like this!"

"Then what was it supposed to be like?" Manjoume stepped forward, the spirit of his dragon hovering protectively over him. "Were you planning on lording over us with your 'enlightend knowledge' or whatever the hell it was you were after?"

"Lord over you? Yeah, a little. But mostly, I needed to wipe that arrogant sneer off your face. Off all your faces. Day in and day out, Professor Daitokuji kept trying to teach us the truth, but do you have any conception of how few people actually listened to him? It was sickening. But it made sense; he had no proof, he had no theory, all he had were suspicions and coincidences and rumours and nothing else. He couldn't hope to convince anyone with those things. I knew I had to find something, something more. I knew that this game had a hidden secret to it, but it looks like that secret used me and threw me away without ever leaving anything for me."

"So you never could see the future, could you?" Momoe stood up, the image of the Dark Necrofear indistinct behind her.

"No, I couldn't. I had to make those visions happen, force them into being. The past and the present were given to me freely, but the future, the one thing that mattered to me, it was always forbidden to me. And a voice kept ringing in my head, that I had to prove myself to something in order to deserve the title of The Prophet." Professor Chronos then grabbed Takuma's arm.

"In any event, you are still a student at this Duel Academia, and as such it is our responsibility to make sure you are taken care of. And letting that wound on your fool head get infected would be just the sort of remiss failure that we can't have." Professor Chronos then dragged Takuma off in the direction of the nurse's office, and the rest of the group followed behind.

* * *

"I think it's over now, Ryoko. Things looked pretty tense over there for a while, but it looks like Professor Chronos pulled through for everyone. Who would have thought it, huh?" Fubuki and Ryoko stood outside the hall where the party continued.

"It is quite evident that that Judai had a significant effect upon him; you recall how his passion drained away during the events of last year, yes?"

"Oh yeah. Man, I can't believe so many students dropped out. It was like an exodus or something. Yeah, Professor Chronos really took that hard. I guess part of him wanted to make sure he didn't lose anymore students, even if they were..." Ryoko turned to Fubuki, who'd turned silent. He ran a finger across his own mask.

"Fubuki, you need to let go of this; you are the only one who's still blaming yourself. You know that there's a power hiding itself on this island more powerful then any of us; not even I could have resisted that darkness if it had targeted me."

"I don't believe that Ryoko. I know for a fact that you're more powerful then anything on this island. Be honest, if you didn't have to worry about me, you'd have already dealt with The Prophet before Momoe, Junko, and Manjoume were injured. And you would have done it perfectly."

"Fubuki..."

* * *

"Unfortunately, I can't recall much of anything. It seems that my brief time as The Prophet was worse then useless." Takuma's wounds had been treated and were now bandaged. He was sitting on a bed in the nursery, as was Misa who'd been brought back in after Takuma.

"Huh, looks like genius boy doesn't know everything." Misa said this with a sneer at Takuma.

"You know, I could bicker with you, but right now my head is hurting like a bitch, so stop yours." Takuma and Misa glared at each other for moment, and it seemed that they came to a silent agreement to drop the issue before it could get started.

"Miss. Watsuki." Misa then turned to Professor Chronos. "You mentioned before something about a symbol?" Judai and Asuka's eyes lit up.

"Yes. For some reason, when I try to think about how I was possessed, this symbol keeps showing up in my head, like some kind of lock keeping me away from my own memories. And the thing of it is, is that I've seen this symbol before." Everyone's eyes were now on Misa, waiting. Misa then turned to Hayako."On the day that you came down to the beach and dueled me, I got an email telling me to taunt you, told me all kinds of personal things to say to rile you up. According to the sender, if I did these things I'd get all kinds of rare cards. There was no name provided, but there was a symbol there, the same symbol that's in my head." Takuma cocked his head at Misa.

"You? That can't be right, that's like the message I got." He then turned to Manjoume. "You might not recall, but that first night you arrived at Duel Academia, I was the one who suggested that you duel Judai and offered to be your witness. I got a message telling me to do just that. Of course, then your thin skin had to kick me out before I could properly observe you, and so I never got my reward." Misawa's eyes bugged open, as did Junko and Momoe's. Misawa then looked into the eyes of the Ra Yellow girls, and you could see the connections being made.

"This symbol, show us what it looks like. If I'm right, then the three of us also got similar emails to yours." Takuma was given a pad and paper and began to draw the symbol in question. Misa instantly recognized it and offered several points of correction. Takuma took the criticism in silence, though not in pleasure, but in the end the symbol was produced to their mutual satisfaction. It was in truth several symbols combined together, most from Ancient Egypt. The center was an Ankh, rotated at forty-five degrees to the right. It was embedded within the symbol for the Ka, and above both was the Ba hanging upside down. All this however, was buried within a spiraling series of thorns that punctured the smaller symbols within them before forming a pool of black darkness around them.

"Asuka! That's it!" Judai turned to Asuka, and she turned to him in turn. They then both looked to their duel spirits, which all but Shou, Nurse Ayukawa, and the two former shadow duelists could see, and saw them dancing in joy.

"Yes, this is definitely the symbol that they were trying to show us before. No wonder we couldn't find it, that spiral doesn't resemble anything I've ever heard of."

"This confirms it then." Misawa then turned to Manjoume. "On the night of your duel with Judai, I was provided with a keyed read-out to your duel. I didn't understand the purpose at the time, but considering that it seems to be connected with this nightmare, I would have to speculate that it was meant to make me be mistrustful towards the both of you."

"Trust me Misawa, you don't have to suspect." Junko said.

"Yeah, remember when you stormed off to go duel Judai?" Momoe added. "Yeah, we got an email telling us to taunt you into dueling him."

"So," Judai said uncertainly, "what you guys are all saying is that someone didn't want us to be able to trust each other?"

"But at the same time," Shou said, joining in, "this person was very concerned about exposing themselves, so they had to take small actions and hope for the best." Everyone took a moment to dwell upon this discovery. Then Professor Chronos cried out in shock.

"This symbol, I recognize it! Well, not the black spikes and the pool of darkness, but the egyptian assemblage, this was the symbol assigned to the fourth dorm!"

"Fourth dorm?" Manjoume said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, there were plans for a fourth dorm, but those were ultimately scrapped. For someone to be using this symbol in this manner suggests a connection. Moreover, they are taunting us! Mr. Misawa, I would request your assistance in looking up the plans for the dorms; if we are lucky, our mystery man will not have sealed that information away but there will undoutedly be a few security measures to overcome. Now then, the rest of you need your rest; three of you have been exhausted by this evening's events, and one of you..." Professor Chronos glared directly at Judai. "I don't know how you were able to sneak alcohol onto this establishment, but I will only overlook it this one time! Everyone, you are dismissed for now, but be ready to act in the morning!"


	39. Chapter 39

Shadows Unveiled, The Waves of Destruction

"Professor Chronos, where are Professor Midori and Professor Daitokuji? And what about Principal Samejima?" Professor Chronos looked down at Judai, who'd fully recovered from the previous night's unintentional indiscretion. Professor Chronos also looked at all the rest of the gathered students, and noted that they all seemed to be in peak condition.

"I feel that the nine of us can handle our hidden enemy quite adequately, and as such there is no need to involve the rest of the faculty in this matter."

"And what about my brother and the Kaiser? I didn't think that you considered them on par with the faculty?" Asuka said with a small smirk, causing Professor Chronos to become mildly unnerved.

"Well, you know full well that there is no sense in putting your brother in any unnecessary danger, and so long as the Kaiser can duel, I can't imagine a safer place then at her side. Now then, this is the spot where you and Judai first encountered our enemy, correct?" The two duelists nodded and everyone examined the copse of woods that they were in; despite all their efforts, there was nothing to distinguish this part of the woods from any other. Professor Chronos then turned to Misawa. "All right Mr. Misawa, it should be around here somewhere..." Both he and Misawa walked about, peering intently at the ground.

"Aha!" Misawa called out, and everyone rushed to his side. He pointed to what appeared to be a stray root, but a close examination of the underside of it revealed a small digital keypad. "three zero zero zero four eight nine nine three zero zero zero." Upon entering the final digit, a chirping sort of beep sounded out, and then there was a pressurized mechanical noise. Everyone stepped back as a metal plate lifted up from beneath the grass and then split apart, revealing a long underground tunnel. "In case anyone was curious, the code was the attack powers of Osiris, Ra, and Obelisk during the final turn of Yuugi's duel with Malik at the Battle City finals." Judai whistled a high pitch as he looked down the tunnel.

"Man, I can't even see to the bottom of this thing! I wonder how far it goes?"

"According to the schematics provided by Professor Chronos," Misawa said, trying not to be annoyed that his explanation of how the code was determined was ignored; in the scheme of things, it wasn't really important, "the tunnel descends at a thirty degree angle for about half a kilometer, and then it becomes flat from that point on, becoming something of a labyrinth."

"Labyrinth?" Manjoume said with a note of curiousity. "You don't suppose our enemy hired the Meikyu brothers, do you?"

"I should say not!" Professor Chronos said with a huff, pointing to Judai and Shou. "Originally I hoped to employ the two of them to duel you two during your Joint Duel exam, but they told me where I could put my offer and it's not a place that I will mention in present company. Now come on, there's no point in delaying any further." Professor Chronos produced a flashlight and marched down the tunnel, followed by Judai, Asuka, and all the others. As they walked down the long path into the darkness, Shou rushed up.

"Excuse me, Professor Chronos, there's something I don't understand; how could there ever be a fourth dorm? There were only three Egyptian God Cards."

"Well, I did not hear this directly, but apparently the duel king himself claimed that under special circumstances, the three gods could be fused together into one."

"A fusion of the god cards? Wow, I can't even imagine what that would be like, that's way too much!" Judai said with unabashed excitement.

"Do not give it too much credence, Drop-out boy; as I said, this was indirect information and it was quite clear that Seto Kaiba did not give this notion any credence."

"But then," Shou said, "who built all this? Surely someone would have noticed the budget drain?"

"Professor Chronos and I went over the data last night, and it seems that none of the budget was misappropriated at all; really, you have to admire Kaiba Corporation for possessing such a high level of efficiency. In any event, I'm certain that once we find our enemy that we will find out everything that there is to know." Everyone nodded at Misawa's pronouncement and they marched on down the tunnel, bringing light into the darkness.

* * *

"Principal Samejima, you called for me?" Professor Midori crossed the principals office and stood across from her, looking up at the woman who was clearly dealing with an even heavier burden then she'd suspected was possible.

"I've been going over some files concerning the four students who were possessed, hoping to find some sort of connection that could lead to the source of all this trouble. While I could find nothing to connect Fubuki to the others, the remaining three students did have a connection. Several in fact. Take a look for yourself." Professor Midori looked at the PDAs that were on the desk, each displaying the profiles for Kazuki Aoyama, Misa Watsuki, and Hidekazu Takuma. It took a short while, but she noticed the same thing that Samejima did.

"This has to be a coincidence. The assignments of the Whim of Fate tournament were random. You yourself made sure of that before the tournament even began."

"And yet, when I checked upon the whereabouts of three other students, they were all unaccounted for." Midori's eyes were wide with shock as she was presented with the profiles for Ken Suzuki, Eva Nomura, and Aina Yamada. "Six students, each of whom dueled Judai's group in the tournament; this is not a coincidence, the statistics forbid it."

"But why these six? Surely there has to be method to this madness!"

"Look on the second page of the profiles. I believe you will see the connection that we should have seen right from the very beginning." Professor Midori went through each profile, eyes growing wider as a certain entry repeated itself in each one.

"Does anyone else know?" Principal Samejima shook her head.

"I tried to contact Professor Chronos, but he seems to have disappeared, along with Judai's group." The two women stood in silence for a moment.

"Wait a second...He would, that crazy man would go off on his own like this, and...! So that's why he was looking up that information with Misawa." Midori recalled how she'd gone to check up on Chronos to make sure the fool wasn't working himself to exhaustion, but when she saw how intently he and Misawa were working, she decided to let it pass. But she did remember seeing what they were looking into, and with what she had learned just now, she knew that he and Judai and all the others were in terrible danger. Especially if her suspicions of what had happened to Professor Chronos during the tournament were borne out. "Please forgive my sudden departure Principal Samejima, but every second will count!" Professor Midori yelled this out as she ran out of the Principal's office, knowing that even with all the shortcuts availible to her it would still take her too long for her liking.

"Damn it all." Principal Samejima said as she slumped back into her chair. "This was exactly the sort of nightmare that we were trying to prevent from happening. So why?"

* * *

"Are you okay Hayako? You don't look too good." Junko put her hand on Hayako's forehead; the group had made its way slowly and carefully down the tunnel and were now in a hallway with a smoothly carved floor. All along the walls were doorways and down the distance was a T-shaped intersection.

"I'm fine, I just, there's something about this place that makes me feel...it's nothing really. I don't want to hold anyone back, not now." Judai walked back over to Hayako, along with Shou and Asuka, and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry about the rest of us; we can all take care of each other, right Asuka? Shou?" Each nodded in turn as they were addressed. "Now, if I remember my horror movies right, splitting up at this point would be a really bad idea. So let's all stick together and hope we find something soon?"

The group made their way to the first door and opened it; it was a barren room with a single bed in it and nothing else. The next several rooms were like this, though some had two beds, and one had three. None of them looked like they'd ever been used. When the group reached the T-intersection, they mulled over which way to go, and the Kuribohs appeared and motioned to the right. Yet it was clear that something was scaring them, for they did not attempt to show the way as they had done in the past. As they passed down the hall, the group encountered several more rooms, each as barren as the ones before. Then, at the end of the hall, was a door that seemed different from the rest; unlike the others, this one was marked by the strange nested symbol and there was something about it that looked...heavy. This visual sense of weight continued even after they opened it, confirming it to be the same mass as the rest of the doors.

"Woah, what is all this?" Momoe spoke for the group in this puzzlement; the walls were covered in symbols from all around the world, each representing a different culture's conception of pain, fear, torment, and darkness. In the center of the room was a row of tables with straps on them, their purpose unmistakable. Then there were the tools that were left in the open, as thought their owner had no concern for safety or the possibility that someone might come and take them. Each one was sharp, vicious looking, and several of them looked to have been freshly used. A heavy ragged breathing filled the room, and everyone turned to Hayako.

"But...this place...I don't remember ever being in a place like this, not even in my worst dreams. So why does it feel like..." Shou then stepped close to Hayako.

"It's okay Hayako, there's no one here, so there's nothing to worry about."

"Wait." Asuka called out. "I think there is someone, over in the corner." Professor Chronos shined the light into the corner, unveiling the patch of darkness to reveal what seemed to be a young woman resting against the corner where two walls met. Professor Chronos waved everyone to hold back, then proceeded to move in close to examine the subject of their curiosity. This only lasted a few seconds, and then Cronos returned to their side.

"It was not more then an elaborate doll. With the right force or power, it could have moved like a real human and if you didn't look too closely it would be sure to fool you." Manjoume's eyes became wide with shock.

"Wait, Fubuki mentioned something about a strange woman or girl or something. That doll could be it!"

"You may be right, Mr. Manjoume. This room, there must be hidden compartments all over the place, we should carefully examine everything from top to bottom. Everyone, make sure to watch each other's backs." Everyone split up into pairs, and as Judai and Shou made their way to the northern end of the room, Professor Chronos suddenly reached out and grabbed Judai by the throat, putting him into a powerful choke hold.

"Judai!" Everyone yelled out, but before they could even take one step, Professor Chronos spoke.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask everyone to remain perfectly still for the time being. Do not worry, my master will be along shortly to deal with all of you." Professor Chronos loosened his grip by a fraction, letting Judai speak without giving him any other freedom to move.

"Professor Chronos, what's happened to you!"

"That you would ask me at a time like this only confirms that my assessment of you as a drop out boy was most accurate, despite your prodigious dueling talent. Remain still; it would be inconvenient if you were to get yourself killed before your role was fully played out." And so everyone waited. They waited, each looking for even the slightest opening to free Judai. Unfortunately, Professor Chronos had become like a steel sentinel, and neither his arms nor his eyes nor even his ears tired in their vigilence. Then they heard the sounds of footsteps approaching from the hallway that they'd taken. A familiar voice called out.

"This is unfortunate. To have so many intruders at a time like this." Professor Daitokuji then stepped into the room, carrying the familiar tabby cat Pharoah in his arms, the lights turning on in response to his presence. "And you were all cooperating so well too with the Waves of Destruction." He then put the cat down, who immediately ran over to where the doll was, rubbing up against her legs before taking a nap.

"Professor Daitokuji!" Everyone was shocked; the skinny, long haired man had always been odd, but this...

"Now that's strange." Professor Daitokuji then walked up to Hayako, his very presence now filled with a dark purpose. Hayako stepped back, and Daitokuji stepped forward. "You were one of my failures, yet now you have a spirit of your own. How curious indeed. Perhaps I should not have let the others loose so carelessly."

"Others? What others?" Professor Daitokuji then looked at Misawa.

"Well, there's not really much sense in telling you anything, since none of you will remember anything at all. Your ignorance is necessary for everything to come together nice and smoothly, just as it has been for the past two years."

"Master, what shall I do with this worthless drop-out boy? Is he really neccessary for your purposes." Daitokuji chuckled lightly.

"Oh Professor Chronos, of course he is. All of them are. Now then, why don't you hold onto him while I determine what I'm going to do with the rest." Asuka then armed her duel disc.

"You? You're the one who tortured my brother? You're the one who used him to try and kill me and Judai? You're the reason why he might never fully recover? You?!" Asuka's voice was filled with rage barely controlled, an edge of ice serving to give her words a cutting bite. Hayako and Shou armed theirs next, and before long all the assembled duelists were ready for battle.

"All of you at once? No, that is not practical at all; there's no provision for a duel of seven against one. No, I think I'll deal with you one at a time, and I should remind you all that you can't afford to play by anyone elses rules but my own." Judai drew a sharp breath as Professor Chronos tightened his grip.

"Bro, don't worry we'll get you out of this!" Judai give a quick thumbs up to Shou, and then the seven remaining members of the group gathered into a circle.

"Damn it all, I see it but I still don't believe it! I mean, how can Daitokuji be the one behind all this, it doesn't add up!" Manjoume said quite insistently.

"Guys, it's still a little fuzzy, but the longer I'm in here, the more I feel like I can remember certain things from last year. Misa, she told me how some time last year she changed, and now I can remember being down here with her! Daitokuji, he really is behind all this." Hayako said with a shudder, the latest memory emerging from the darkness.

"So then, how do we handle this? Do we really go at him one at a time and hope he doesn't defeat us all?" Momoe said, noting the still calm smile on Daitokuji's face that did not belong in such a macabre setting as they were in. Asuka took another look at Judai, and their eyes met.

"I'm going to go, and there won't be a second turn for any of you." Asuka stepped out of the circle, each step filled with power. "Professor Daitokuji, if I win you have to free Judai and release Professor Chronos from your control."

"And if I win, you will be unconscious until such I time that I decide you awaken, at which point you will have no more memory of this place or any of the events that transpired here." Professor Daitokuji armed his duel disc.

"Hold it!" Everyone, including Daitokuji, turned in the direction of the new voice to see Professor Hibiki striding in, despite her clear exhaustion. "I'm sorry Asuka, but I can't allow you to duel this man; this is a matter for the Duel Academia faculty to resolve." Midori armed her duel disc and glared at Daitokuji. "Tell me, do you have anything to say for yourself? Do you have any excuses for what you've done, for all the danger that you've put everyone in? Did you ever once have any regrets about lying to us all and betraying the very purpose of Duel Academia itself?!" Daitokuji took this in stride, his face showing no sign of an emotional response, his voice seeming as though he was in class lecturing an eager student.

"Hmm, now how did you get here? You should not have been able to use the entrance in the woods; I re-armed the lock and changed the code after everyone else trespassed in. Ah, of course; silly me, I left the secret entrence in my office open. I should have been much more careful. Now, as to your questions, why would I ever have any excuses or regrets at all? As far as I'm concerned, I've not done anything wrong at all. The harm that Fubuki and the others have suffered; that is only the price that is neccessary for my research and nothing else. You would not fault the chemist for making use of his crucible, now would you? It's the same principle. But as I said before, none of you will remember this conversation afterwards, so there's no need to drag things on needlessly. Let us duel, Professor Hibiki."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I decided that instead of holding off to the end to reveal who was behind it all, I decided to have it happen half way through. How does this work? Does this feel like a good place to put this reveal, or should I have waited until the end for that?


	40. Chapter 40

Fallen Angels, Fallen Shadows, Fallout

"Don't worry Judai, I'll get you out of this as quickly as I can." Midori looked over to Judai, who smiled back despite the predicament he was in; with everything that she knew about Professor Chronos, Professor Daitokuji would have to have magically compelled him to hold Judai by the throat. Yet in looking at the man, there was not one sign of the artifact that the other Shadow Duelists wore; not a hint of a golden glint, nor a sign of scar tissue. Yet somehow, Professor Daitokuji was tapping into occult forces, that was obvious enough. "I'll go first Professor...no, Daitokuji, you don't deserve that title anymore, not with what you've done and are planning to do!" Daitokuji smiled benignly, unperturbed in the slightest by Midori's words.

"I expected that; mind you, I did not plan on holding my position for too much longer, but now is too early to put that action into motion. I still need to be able to handle things directly and indirectly, and without my administrative station here, that would be quite difficult. As such I will have to place the same compulsion on you as I did to Professor Chronos. Oh, but it is your turn. I shouldn't have interrupted."

"...First I set two cards. Next I play Spell Economics, and I follow that with Fallen Designation and Seriel Spell, discarding one card in my hand to send your Helios monsters and your Alchemy Beast monsters from your hand or deck to the grave." A pale light shined upon Daitokuji's deck, scanning each card for the designated offenders. The light faded, and no cards were sent to the grave. "What?!" Midori narrowed her eyes at her opponent. "I see...so your alchemy deck, that wasn't your real deck." Daitokuji's smile dropped very slightly.

"Oh, and I had hoped to be able to surprise you on my turn, but you figured it out already; yes, this deck is the true reflection of my soul. All that time I spent talking about and lecturing on Alchemy...or rather, the primitive and useless sort of Alchemy that never accomplished anything, unlike the true art of Shadow Alchemy." Daitokuji's smile grew. "Yes, it has been most difficult to develop Shadow Alchemy in this day and age; the foolish old woman Midori Tsukasa destroyed the Millennium Tome before I was able to discover its whereabouts, which meant I had to scrape together what I could from all around the world. And the experimentation necessary to test those principles...but I digress. Was there something else you planned on doing this turn?"

"The card I discarded to activate Seriel Spell was Fallen Angel Amon, and when he is sent to the grave, I get to draw one card. I set that card, and end my turn."

"Ah, very well done; even though you did not achieve the end you desired, you were still able to gain from your actions. Truly, you are every bit the sister to the world champion Kouyou Hibiki. Dueling you, like him, will be a very satisfying experience." Everyone's eyes grew wide at this declaration.

"Wait a minute...you! You're that guy I saw dueling Kouyou all those years ago!" Manjoume called out, pointing directly at Daitokuji, who looked at him quizzically in response.

"Oh, now I do recall a young boy who looked rather like you in the audience. How curious. You would know then that my Alchemy Deck was too weak to defeat him, and as such it would be a waste to try it against an even stronger duelist. But, it would be much clearer for to show, rather then tell. First, I play Terraforming to add a field spell card to my hand, and then I play The Other Side!" As he called out his card with excitement in his voice, a strange presence filled the air; it was a thick yellow fog that kept everyone from seeing anything more then a few meters away, and no matter where Midori looked, there were always strange shadowy figures hiding in the fog, visible only in the corner of her eyes. "And now I shall bring forth the first of my monsters, Shadow Self Hedonism in defense mode!" Heavy footfalls echoed in the fog as one of the shadows became clear; it was a huge creature, looking rather like a young boy riding a giant frog, save that the boy was joined with the frog at the hips like some sort of centaur. Almost immediately the creature leaned forward, guarding itself with over sized hands like something out of a cartoon. "Now, Shadow Self Hedonism normally possess an attack of eleven hundred, but by shifting it from defense to attack, I can double that attack power and let it attack every monster on your side of the field. But I'm not finished yet. I now play the Permanent Spell card, Path of Pain."

An intense light flashed down on Midori, rather like a spotlight. A moment later, a quiet whispering began near Midori's ears, the sound of it almost gnawing at her mind. "How are you doing this? You don't have anything like the Millennium Items, so how?"

"The Millennium Items, much like the artifact I created, are only tools to draw out the inner darkness that all humans possess. For someone like myself, who has cultivated my own darkness very carefully, the use of such tools, while still useful, is not necessary. But more importantly, while Path of Pain is on the field, you will take damage every time you attack; one hundred points per level of the attacking monster. It will be your discretion which will decide the extent of your suffering. Now I'll set two cards, and end my turn."

Midori drew her next card, and pondered her strategy; the fact of the matter was that there were too many unknowns to Daitokuji's deck. She determined it would be best to stick to her standard strategy, and respond to his attacks with equal force. "I pass my turn."

"Hesitation. On the surface it resembles your normal dueling strategy, but in this realm, it becomes clear what the real purpose of your action is." Suddenly another Midori appeared, its eyes a sickly gold and its voice like a legion.

"No pain, no pain. I hate being hurt, more then anything. My brother is on the verge of death, but it only matters because it hurts me. I'm too soft, so I have to keep everyone from being hurt, in order to keep myself from being hurt." The false Midori vanished back into the fog, indistinguishable from any of the other shadows that wandered within.

"You are incapable of taking unnecessary risks, even to defend those in your care. Hmm, I wonder if you will be able to accept that darkness within you...well, we'll find that out, won't we? I now shift Shadow Self Hedonism to attack mode, doubling his attack power." Shadow Self Hedonism then stretched up high, reaching as far as it could with its large padded hands. "Wind of Joy." Shadow Self Hedonism slammed its hands to the ground, heedless of the consequences; the ground shook violently, and even the otherwise unmoving Professor Chronos had to work to keep his balance. This meant that Judai was able to yell, for at least a moment.

"Midori!" A thick wall of wind rushed towards Hibiki, but she simply snapped her fingers and a pit of black fire emerged before the wind, dispersing it.

"Infernal Flame; by discarding my card, I can negate your monsters attack and destroy it, dealing damage to you equal to half its attack power." A huge column of hell fire emerged and then seemed to fall down onto Shadow Self Hedonism like a tower broken by a bolt of lightning. Then a cloud of darkness appeared, consuming the fire before descending upon Hedonism. A hideous high pitched shriek echoed out as lightning flashed within the cloud. When the cloud vanished, there was not a trace of Shadow Self Hedonism left.

"My trap card, Depraved Indifference; I destroy one monster that I control, and both players get to draw two cards. And now for the effect of The Other Side; when a Shadow Self monster is destroyed, I recover one hundred life points per level of that monster and can then special summon another Shadow Self from my hand or deck." A mote of darkness rushed into Daitokuji, joining with his body. A sound of a whip cracking against someones back resounded, and from the fog emerged a woman wearing a mask like something from a nineteenth century masked ball riding on the backs of three pale school girls, each supporting the one above them. It looked painful and unstable. "Shadow Self Dominance, attack directly." Dominance cracked her whip over and over, building up force that would surely tear apart anything it hit. Midori then snapped her own fingers, louder then the crack of the whip, and then a pair of blocks appeared, one in front of Midori and the other in front of Daitokuji. Each block had an un-carved bone resting upon it.

"I discard one card to activate Bone Temple Block, allowing each of us to special summon a monster from each others graveyard." Fallen Angel Amon, who possessed the head of a raven and when it opened its beak it was lined with the teeth of a hound, appeared on Daitokuji's side of the field in attack mode while Shadow Self Hedonism now appeared on Midori's side of the field in defense, forming a wall that neither of Daitokuji's monsters could overcome.

"Hmm, well done. You are certainly far more capable then our dear indisposed Professor Chronos. He was absolutely hopeless, faring no better then Manjoume did against Asuka in the tournament." Midori narrowed her eyes.

"It looks like you've confirmed my suspicion about what happened between those two calls that Professor Chronos gave me." Daitokuji nodded amiably.

"Yes, it would have been best if I'd caught him before he spoke to you, but fortunately he kept every bit of evidence with him, fearful that someone could take it without his knowing. Ironic, considering that this kept you and all the others in the dark for much longer then it would have otherwise." Daitokuji then turned towards Professor Chronos. "Thank you so much Professor Chronos; without your cooperation, things could not have ever proceeded so smoothly." Evidently something in Daitokuji's voice had a hidden message to it, for Chronos tightened his grip around Judai's neck, causing him to cough out.

"Judai, hang in there!" Asuka called out, cursing the situation for leaving her with no opportunity to help.

"Chronos, loosen your grip. If Judai dies, things will not be well for you." For the first time, Daitokuji spoke in a voice that did not smile; his eyes narrowed as the mask of his being momentarily slipped. But once Professor Chronos loosened his grip ever so slightly, Daitokuji resumed smiling. "That's better. Now then, I'll set two cards and end my turn."

"You really enjoy this, don't you Daitokuji?" Midori said in a low growl, playing Graceful Charity as she spoke. "How long have you been doing this? Torturing others for your own power?" Daitokuji's eyes went wide open, and in the yellow fog of The Other Side they seemed to acquire a golden tint.

"My power? Hmm, you misunderstand me Professor Hibiki; I have not done this research so that I would gain power from it. I am simply trying to figure out what works. You have no idea how many false roads I've stumbled upon in my work...or perhaps you do?" Daitokuji said with an upturned smile. "After all, you did find the information connecting the six students that I experimented on; I would not be surprised to find that you found out just why so many students dropped out the previous year."

"WHAT!?" Shou called out, remembering his encounter with Aina Yamada at the tournament. "You mean...all that sadness and anger, it was all your fault!?" Daitokuji turned to Shou, and responed with a straight face.

"Why yes; I needed numerous subjects to find what would work, and who could bear the potential of the darkness. Most people are too weak on the inside, even among duelists." A hammering sound rang across the ground, and Daitokuji turned to face an enraged Shadow Self Hedonism that was slamming its fists on the ground; Fallen Angel Ukoback had been summoned to the field, and Midori had played Gift of the Martyr to sacrifice it, raising Shadow Self Hedonism's attack power to 2900.

"Attack, Dark Wind Revelry!" As Shadow Self Hedonism threw walls of wind at the enemy monsters, the light and sound of Path of Pain grew more intense, overwhelming her senses. Further, when each monster was destroyed a sharp pain ran through her whole body, holding her in place. By the time it was all over, Midori was nursing a terrible headache and saw the other trap that Daitokuji had activated.

"Its called Overextension; I discard one card from my hand, and you take the same battle damage I did. Furthermore, your monster's attack is reduced by that same battle damage." With both Path of Pain and Overextension, Midori had been reduced to 1700 life points while Daitokuji had 2900 life points. "Furthermore, I now activate Greater Purpose; whenever I special summon a monster from my hand or deck, I get to draw one card." A shadow then flew out of the fog and into Daitokuji, rejuvenating him yet again. A sudden metallic crash, and when the dust settled there was a giant fire bird in a bird cage. "And in all actuality, I'm impressed; you were able to confront the pain of battle quite well. Now then, I believe its my turn now. Shadow Self Helplessness, attack Hedonism." The door to the birdcage opened and the fire bird within began to flap its wings, fanning a terrible flame towards the crippled Hedonism. Midori then snapped her fingers and a black mist consumed the fire.

"I activate Dark Mist, sending Fallen Angel Forneus from my deck to my grave to negate your attack. Furthermore, when Forneus is sent to the grave, I can add two Fallen Angels from my deck to my hand. I choose Fallen Angel Beelzebub and Fallen Angel Zerato."

"Ah, very well done. Hmm, if only I could have included you in my experiments; unfortunately, unlike a student, it would be noticed if you were to go missing for a few hours." Midori cleared her head, calming her composure.

"Do you really have so little regard for others? Are the lives of duelists nothing more then tools for you?" Daitokuji shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Well, they are not _simply_ tools; were they to have been tools, I could have simply walked up to Judai and the others and simply told them to duel each other. But as Chronos and Misawa learned, I had to be more subtle then that. The shadow of failure and defeat, I found, is a critical element to releasing the power that I cultivated." Daitokuji then turned his attention to Misawa. "No, my purpose in sending those was emails was never to cultivate mistrust between you all, though that would have been a pleasant side effect. It was simply imperative that you all lose a duel at some point before the tournament began."

"What? Why did we...!" Misawa couldn't believe it, but if that were the case, then that definitely accounted for what seemed to be a bizarre coincidence.

"Ah, I see you understand now. Being the one who originally proposed the tournament gave me quite a bit of control over who would duel who, and without a full understanding of why, no one would question the idea that the duel assignments were randomized."

"But, wait a second!" Momoe yelled out. "If one of the duelists that you experimented on lost before facing any of us, then your plan would have fallen apart, then wouldn't it?" Daitokuji feigned a worried expression.

"Oh my, that is certainly a good point." Then he smiled a Cheshire cat grin. "Then that makes it a good thing that I made sure that security would have a good reason to be scattared about the island and be unaware of my manipulations of duel assignments. This is not to say that Fubuki did not serve admirably in his role for cultivating the darkness, but it is well indeed that he was able to fulfill multiple roles in my plan."

"YOU BASTARD!" Asuka and Manjoume yelled out; they had to be restrained by Misawa and Hayako to keep them from attacking Daitokuji. Asuka then took a moment to breathe, to calm herself. "Professor Hibiki, don't you dare give that monster even one centimeter more then he's already taken." The two looked each other in the eye and they both drew on each others strength. Asuka then looked to Manjoume, and while he seemed more reluctant to let go of his righteous anger on Fubuki's behalf, he too relented; Misawa and Hayako released Asuka and Manjoume, and Midori resumed her turn.

"I now sacrifice Shadow Self Hedonism to summon Fallen Angel Beelzebub!" A massive angel with features of a fly appeared; it carried a staff headed by human skulls and its wings were almost decayed all into nothingness. "Fallen Angel Beelzebub, attack Shadow Self Helplessness!" Beelzebub waved its staff in the air, gathering power before bringing it down like a hammer upon Helplessness. But before the attack connected, Shadow Self Helplessness cried out in terror, a sound not in words that nevertheless begged for help. And a response came in the form of a prince on a mighty steed who blocked the attack.

"When Shadow Self Helplessness is attacked, she can negate the attack and special summon a Prince token that has the same attack power as the offending monster, and so long as the Prince Token is on the field, Shadow Self Helplessness can't be attacked." Is that so, Midori thought to herself. Very well, he could try for a mutual kill, but it would fail for him.

"I set one card to end my turn, Daitokuji."

"Hm, there is a slight change to your shadow. I wonder..." Daitokuji's eyes took on the sick golden tint again, and once more the shadow of Midori appeared before her.

"Yes, the pain is terrible, but to lose, even if I don't remember it, that is something I can't afford. Not just my brother, but Judai as well, they both believe I'm invincible. They need to believe in me; Kouyou will give up his hold on life, and Judai will give in to his worst impulses, that's why I can't lose, its too important for me to ever lose." The Shadow vanished, and between the gold in the eyes of the false Midori and the gold in the real Daitokuji's eyes, Midori came to a realization.

"You, you included yourself in your research. That's how you're able to do all this. You didn't master or cultivate anything!" Daitokuji looked at Midori for a moment and then removed his glasses; the moment he did so, his eyes went from possessing a golden tint to being outright gold.

"Perceptive. A good quality to have, though clearly it wasn't sufficiently present before this duel, else you would have figured it out sooner, as with so much else of my work. Oh yes, I almost forgot." Daitokuji then turned towards Junko and Momoe. "Junko, Momoe, did you enjoy your joint duel against Judai and Shou?"

"Wait, you're telling us you were involved in that decision too!" Junko said, mouth agape alongside Momoe.

"Indeed. Of course, Principal Samejima would never have been susceptible to the methods I used with the students, so I had to make use of my more personal experiments. Fortunately, it seemed that my voice carried enough strength to provide to coercive force necessary. True, those two Obelisk Blue boys were rather annoyed, and it seems that their tempers were most unnatural. But as I said before, most of my subjects were unable to handle the darkness I cultivated in them." Junko and Momoe looked at each other in shock; it hadn't even occured to them that there was something seriously amiss with those two, and in the next moment it dawned on everyone; scattered all over Japan were people who were ticking time bombs, with no knowing what would set off their darker impulses.

"But back to more pressing business; I now play the spell card, Misfortune to deal damage equal to half your Beelzebub's attack power." A lance of power extended from Beelzebub straight into Midori's heart, piercing through to reach the wall behind her. "And now I play the Merging of the Worlds." A vortex of wind claimed all the monsters on the field, lifting high into the air, beyond even the ceiling of the room they were in. "We both recover life points equal to the average attack power of all the monsters on the field." 2200 life points, it turned out, "And now all monsters on the field are destroyed." And with that, another shadow joined Daitokuji's body, and a strange new Shadow Self monster appeared; it was a massive Adonis of a man dressed in no more then a traditional fudoshi, and on its chest was a veritable garden of roses. Where the head should have been, there was the torso on up of a young man crying out in fear, and it carried a pair of Mars symbols as weapons. "And so long as Shadow Self Rejection is on the field, you can't have anymore then one monster on the field. Now, due to the effect of Misfortune, I can't attack, so I'll set one card to end my turn."

"One Angel, one Fallen Angel is all I need to defeat your monster. I now activate Angel Fallen into Darkness, discarding Fallen Angel Desire to special summon Fallen Angel Caim from my deck!" He was a towering angel with burning brand on his forehead. "And now I activate its effect, removing Fallen Angel Ukoback in my grave from play to force you to discard your hand." Daitokuji continued to seem unperturbed by this loss, but the blood vessels near his eyes began to swell up ever so slightly. "Now, Fallen Angel Caim, attack Shadow Self Rejection!" Fallen Angel Caim stuck out its arm and an array of sigils appeared around Shadow Self Rejection; the latter attempted to break out but was trapped and destroyed by the un-heavenly forces. Further, when Path of Pain began to torment Midori once more, Caim stuck out his other arm, creating a field of life and peace around her that more then countered the toxic aura of pain. "When Fallen Angel Caim does battle damage, I gain life points equal to that damage." Midori now had 3100 life points, while she'd managed to reduce Daitokuji from 5900 to 4600. But...

"Oh yes, you are by far a far superior duelist to either your brother or to Chronos. I don't think even Principal Samejima could defeat you." Another Shadow shot into Daitkuji, causing his golden eyes to become even more so. "But now I think it's time to expose the critical weakness of your soul." A pole shot up from out of the ground reaching up to the ceiling, and then a woman leaped onto it; it was a giant of a woman, with skin all the colors of the rainbow and where her face should have been there was a satellite dish. She was now hanging upside down from the pole by her foot, swaying seductively back and forth. All who watched the creature felt a sickening churning in their stomachs that only became worse when they noticed the squelching sounds that the creature made whenever she moved. "Now, when Shadow Self Exposure is summoned, I designate one type of monster, in this Fallen Angel; when Shadow Self Exposure battles such a monster, that monster is automatically destroyed and you take one thousand points of damage. Sublime Understanding." A gridlike array of energy washed over Fallen Angel Caim, then Shadow Self Exposure gathered energy at a point just before her face, and fired it, splitting Fallen Angel Caim's head. The attack spilled over to Midori, who felt as though her head was the one that was split open.

"Midori!" Judai yelled out, having just barely pulled Chronos's fingers from his neck. "Get out of here Midori, it's not worth it!" Everyone was looking at Judai in shock; even Daitokuji could not believe what he was hearing. "Daitokuji's not a real duelist, so this duel doesn't count! You and Kouyou, you both showed me what it meant to be a duelist and what really mattered in dueling, so I know that no matter what, even if Daitokuji changes my memories to think that you lost, I know that you'll always be the real winner!"

"Oh Judai, sometimes your ignorance is truly appalling; you know full well that it is impossible to escape from a Shadow Game. But this too, is part of the darkness of your soul; your inability to accept that you can't help someone, the knowing that you are in no small part responsible for the pain that those precious to you are going through; it is a darkness that would compel you to defy your very beliefs as a duelist, and help to bring about The Propagation! No, not just The Propagation, all the phases of the Waves of Destruction!"

"Daitokuji," Midori said, gripping the side of her head as though to keep it from breaking open, "I only have one thing left to ask you; The Terror of Death, The Mirage of Deceit, The Propagation, and The Prophet: what are they?"

"Hmm? Still able to focus, even in your condition? Well the answer to that is really quite simple; there was a story I once read about the death of the shadowless ones, and how their enemy was a wave of destruction, which could not be localized and thus could not be defeated. The wave came in eight phases, and so I patterned the shadow I cultivated in all the students I experimented on, based on those principles. Does this satisfy?" Midori released the grip she had on her head and smiled. She looked over to Judai, and spoke without words that there was nothing to worry about at all, and he didn't have to feel guilty over his lack of options.

"It does, actually. It means that even were you to win here, you have only four more students left to use, and then you will have nothing. Now then, I shall win this duel here and now! I play Card of Sanctity, allowing each of us to draw until we have six cards in our hands. Next I play Cost Down, discarding Fallen Angel Dagon to reduce the level of all the monsters in my hand by two. Next I play Soul Release, removing Dagon, Forneus, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, and Desire from play. And now I play Dimension Fusion to special summon all my monsters that I removed from play, and with Spell Economics I do not lose life points!" Five towers of light flashed onto the field, and five Fallen Angels appeared, their black withered wings carrying them from beyond all dimensions to this battlefield. "And now I sacrifice Forneus to summon Fallen Angel Zerato, and with Fallen Angel Dagon's effect I remove Forneus from play to remove your Shadow Self Monster from play without destroying it!" A crashing bolt of lighting struck down Dagon, an angel with the scales of a fish, without hesitation.

"Unfortunately, I can't have that. So I activated my Wrath of God card to keep that from happening."

"Heh, and now I activate Desire's effect, reducing its attack by 1000 points to send your monster to the grave, again without destroying it!" A veil of shadow overwhelmed Exposure, shrinking down and down until nothing was left. And without destruction, The Other Side could not bring a new Shadow Self into play. "Fallen Angel Asmodeus, attack directly!" Even as Path of Pain wracked Midori's body, she did not let it stop her; Asmodeus took his sword in both hands and struck down Daitokuji's body as though neatly bisecting the man. And for the first time in the duel, Daitokuji cried out in pain.

"Yes, try and divide me the shadows and the darkness, that would have been the only way for you to have won, but unfortunately for you that's not possible! I activate my trap card, Cling to Lies!" A choking fog appeared, overlapping with Daitokuji. "When I take damage from a direct attack, I can pay half my life points to special summon Shadow Self Hatred!" This Shadow Self monster was most strange indeed; it at first seemed to be a young and eager looking cop, but every other moment it seemed filled with an unbridled rage at all living things in the world. "If Shadow Self Hatred is destroyed by the opponent, then that opponent takes damage equal to the attack power of their strongest monster." Midori saw that she could advance no further. But there was no need to rush, no need for impatience or fear.

"I set one card and end my turn."

"And now I will end this duel! First I play Rending Sacrifice, destroying all spells and traps on my field to destroy all monsters on your side of the field!" Giant bleeding swords emerged from the ground and tore through all of Midori's monsters, as well as all of Daitokuji's spells and traps; even the fog of The Other Side was cut apart, causing all the hidden shadows to flee. "And now that I have no spells or traps on the field, I can sacrifice Shadow Self Hatred to summon Shadow Self Death!" A white light blinded everyone, and when they could see, they couldn't believe it; nothing so large should have been able to fit into the confined space they were in. Yet it was as though the space itself had warped to accommodate Shadow Self Death; it was well over twenty meters tall, even on its knees, a skeleton with blood red bones and long ragged black hair that billowed out. Its shoulders extended far further out then in a normal human skeleton, giving room for twelve arms that looked as though they could rake anything into submission. And here and there, maggots could be seen eating away at its body. It was as though Daitokuji had summoned the goddess Izanami straight from Shinto mythology. "Now, Shadow Self Death, attack directly for four thousand points of damage, Four Strikes of Death!" Shadow Self Death raised its arms and brought them down. And then Midori snapped her fingers and three Fallen Angels appeared on the field in defense mode.

"Fallen Angel Descent allows me to special summon two Fallen Angels who are equal to or lower in level to your attacking monster. Thus, I special summon Desire and Superbia, and Superbia's effect allows me to bring back Zerato as well!" Shadow Self Death struck down Zerato without hesitating, tearing it apart in a vicious manner.

"Do not imagine that Desire will help you at this time; I now activate Shadow Self Death's effect, and send Desire to the grave, doing 1000 points of damage in the process! Thousand Curse!" A hole opened up beneath Fallen Angel Desire, and hands reached up from hell to drag it back down. Midori herself could feel the pull of the grave, and knew that she had to end it before that pull grew too strong. "You may take your turn now, but I don't believe it will merit anything of worth. You can't hope to equal my command of the darkness, and it will only be a matter of time to deal with the rest and bring everything back to a smooth course."

"I now shift Fallen Angel Superbia into attack mode."

"What!"

"And now I play the spell card Light of Lucifer!" A pale but intense light shined over Superbia, and around that light stood all of the Fallen Angels that had fallen into death. "For each Fallen Angel, Superbia will gain seven hundred attack points." A huge rush of power filled Superbia, raising his attack power to 7100.

"Shadow Self Death can't be destroyed by battle, and any battle damage I would take is reduced to zero!"

"And now I activate Light of Lucifer's other effect; by reducing my monster's attack power to one half, I can attack directly." Superbia flew past Shadow Self Death, like a ray of light piercing the darkness, and pierced straight through Daitokuji, slamming him against the wall as all his life points left him.

"What am I doing!" Professor Chronos cried out, immediately letting go of Judai and getting down on his hands and knees before Judai, who was himself down on the ground, hacking and coughing as he tried to recover his normal breathing pattern. "Dropout Boy, please, do not breathe word of this to anyone and...wait, what happened...that's right, Daitokuji!" He then got up before Judai could even say that it wasn't that big a deal and joined Professor Hibiki's side to glare down at Daitokuji. At the same time Shou and Asuka rushed over to Judai, making absolutely certain that he was okay before anyone else had thought to move.

"Judai, we need to get you to Ms. Ayukawa, who knows how much damage you took from what Daitokuji had Professor Chronos do." Judai was about to object, but Asuka was already lifting him up to carry him like a wounded soldier; he supposed that he was rather like one and decided to go with it.

A crashing sound, and everyone flinched as small beads of darkness shot out of their chests and flew out of the room. Daitokuji started laughing lightly.

"What is the meaning of this Daitokuji?" Professor Chronos said as he gripped Daitokuji's collar. "What did you just do?" Daitokuji continued to smile the same bland, benign smile as before, his eyes now completely normal.

"I? It was your darkness that was just released." Daitokuji turned to Midori. "Did you think that I said everything I did for no reason? I chose the truths to release, piece by piece, encouraging the darkness within all of you. And now, in this highly unlikely outcome, my three remaining subjects will no longer need my supervision in order to awaken; they will each in turn carry the phase of the Waves of Destruction, cultivating the darkness all around them in preparation for the final stage of my experiment."

"And then what?" Midori said, glaring down at the man that she once defended to her colleuge. "What will you accomplish with these experiments of yours." Daitokuji was quiet for a moment, and then shrugged.

"In all honesty, I have no expectations on the ultimate outcome of this battle. Perhaps this island will become a barren wasteland? Dark spirits might wander the earth, spreading madness to those they come in contact with. Perhaps even the devastation of our world? No, I do not believe that I could ever release anything so grandiose, but if it were to happen that way, it would not make the slightest difference to me. All that matters, is that my methods work, and unleash power and knowledge that exceeds what even the Pharaoh Atem was capable of at the height of his power."

After that, Daitokuji said nothing more; Professor Chronos took Daitokuji to Principal Samejima in order to determine what to do with the traitor, while Asuka and Manjoume escorted Judai and Midori to the nurses' office.

* * *

"Hey Judai, how does this feel? Me being in the place you were in, and you in the place I was in?" Judai smiled up at Fubuki, who was wearing the same mask that he was during the party two nights ago.

"Well it could be better; my throats still pretty sore, so-" Fubuki then stuck out his arm.

"Say no more my dear friend, you will need your voice in due time. Now then, since you aren't going anywhere at the moment and you won't be interrupting, there's something I want to say to you; Dont' think that I didn't notice the way Asuka was helping you along into this room; I mean, it is terribly unfortunate what happened, and I still have a hard time accepting that Daitokuji was the one who's been responsible for everything that's been happening lately, but I think it would be best to focus on the good things that have come out of all this, and in your case, something very good has come out of this. It's funny you know; for years I kept trying to pair my sister up with all kinds of guys, trying to find the one person that I knew that she'd be happy with, and I'll admit, I was a little...no, I was stubborn about it. I didn't consider that she might not want that kind of relationship with anyone, I didn't consider that she might not need that kind of relationship, and that kernel of darkness is what Daitokuji dragged out of me and used to turn me into that monster, The Terror of Death."

"But hey! Ever since she dueled you back when I put out that dumb challenge, she's become more determined and focused then before, and from everything Ryoko told me about the tournament, she made me really proud. Taking all that pain and sadness, but still going, still winning, it shows how strong she really was. But you understood that even though she could handle it all on her own, that she didn't have to, and you showed her. You really helped my sister out, more then I've been able to lately. And she really appreciates it."

"So, just keep in mind; if you ever want to try something, to take the next step with Asuka, know that you have my approval. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment to keep with Manjoume." Fubuki then gave a wave and a smile and took off, leaving Judai by himself. Judai noticed that it was time for him to take the last dose of his medicine, and as he washed down the bitter taste of it, he thought about what Fubuki said, and wondered; ultimately, he decided that there wasn't any reason to "take the next step" or anything like that. After all, there was still all the time in the world.

* * *

"Hey Hayako, you going to be okay?" Hayako looked up at Junko and Momoe, and gave a small smile.

"Yeah. It's, it's good to find out what really happened and now we know that once we take care of the rest of Daitokuji's victims, nothing like this will ever happen again."

"Yeah, but to find out that something like that was done to you? Not to mention the idea that all over Japan..." Momoe shuddered after saying that; Once again, their thoughts were consumed with the two third year Obelisk Blue duelists who'd targeted them in the tournament; they pissed them off so badly that it hadn't occured to either of them that something was seriously wrong with the two of them, and now they were expelled and who knows where they were now?

"Well, it is creepy, and even though I know what happened, I still don't know how deep the damage really goes. But, you know, with Judai's help I've been able to feel a lot better about myself and I don't doubt that with his help I'll be able to overcome this too. And besides, I'm pretty sure you two would prefer to talk out your problems...privately." Hayako said with a knowing smile.

"You know, I think you might be right." Junko said before taking off with Momoe, holding her hand all the way back to the Ra Yellow dorm.

* * *

"Hey, Manjoume my man! What's the occasion?" Fubuki noticed that Manjoume was facing away from him.

"Fubuki, you're practically a magician of love; there's no doubt in my mind that there have to have been times that you've felt feelings for more then one person at a time in the past."

"Yeah, I have. It's always a pretty tricky situation; you have to make sure that you don't lead either person on, and they have to understand that it's up to you to figure it out on your own. Of course, if you take too long you'll lose both of them, and there are times when one or both of them have feelings for other people too! Love can get pretty complicated Manjoume. But I don't get it; I mean, you don't strike me as the kind of guy who could have feelings for more then one person. Consider that Light and Darkness Dragon of yours."

"My Light and Darkness Dragon?" Manjoume took out his deck and produced the card in question. Fubuki then held it up high.

"Yeah, this card really is the card of your soul, one of a kind, and there's no doubt at all that it's your only one. And heck, its just like you now that I think about it; you've got two sides that you don't often see in one person and that's something to be treasured." Fubuki handed the card back to Manjoume, who held it even more carefully then usual. "So, maybe I'm mistaken but I think that if you work on it, you'll figure out who it is your feelings really are for. Well, sorry to ditch like this, but Ryoko'sset up a study session for me in half an hour and trust me, you don't want to be late for her sessions. Catch you later dude!" As Fubuki walked out of Manjoume's room, Manjoume took to heart what Fubuki had said; it wouldn't be easy, since if the answer he sought came out a certain way, there was no doubt in his mind that his brothers would be incensed at his choice, and angering them further at this time was not something he could afford.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Whew, that was a pretty big chapter. In fact, its the single biggest chapter of this entire story. Oh, and just to let everyone know, Daitokuji's Shadow Self Deck is based off of the monsters and events of Persona 4, a game for the Playstation 2 that I do not own the rights to. Much like .Hack, and Yugioh GX. 4 phases of destruction down, 4 to go, how will Judai and his friends handle the rest? We shall see.


	41. Chapter 41

Friendship Twisted, First Strike of the Machinator

"You know, you've got to admit that Principal Samejima has a pretty interesting teaching style!" Judai smiled over at Shou, who returned the same smile in turn. They were walking out of what was now Principal Samejima's class on Dueling Conduct.

"Yeah, but it's so unlike the Principal, isn't it? I mean, she's normally so confident and commanding, but I guess she's not used to working from a lesson plan, is she?" Truth be told, her lectures were wanting, but since she was generous with deadlines and lax with homework, few students could find it in them to complain.

"So," Hayako said, "I heard that Daitokuji's still being held in the Kaiba Corp detention center." Judai's eyes bugged out wide open.

"Kaiba Corp has it's own detention center? How do you know about that?"

"My dad. He has connections; not big ones, but enough to know about the level below the surface of Kaiba Corp, but not any of the levels below that. From the way dad tells it, Kaiba is getting this close to calling in Yuugi to force some answers out of Daitokuji."

"But Hayako," Shou responded, "we both saw Yuugi when he came to visit, and there's no way a guy like him could force someone to talk. Even if it really did turn out that he used to channel the spirit of an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh..." The three Osiris Red students sighed; it was still hard to reconcile the old image of Daitokuji as the earnest professor who had hundreds of theories that he could never prove but urged his students to take seriously anyway, with the new image of Daitokuji the sociopath who saw no problem experimenting on and torturing innocent students simply to find out what would happen. And the worst part was that they knew that even though he'd been captured, the crisis on Duel Academia was still far from over; no one knew where the three students that Daitokuji had experimented on before his capture had disappeared to, and there was still the matter of who the eighth and final victim would be if they couldn't figure out how to stop the darkness that plauged them...

"The Machinator, The Temptress, The Avenger, and The Rebirth." Misawa said, and everyone turned to look at him, wondering when it was that he'd joined their side. "Those are the four remaining phases of the Waves of Destruction from Daitokuji's old story. Since the first four enemys came in order, it stands to reason that the last four will do the same. Which means that we have the advantage."

"That's right!" Momoe said, joining in the conversation. "See, we can look up the story and see what happened in it, and it'll tell us how each of our enemy's is going to strike."

"Well, except the last one." Junko said, her voice quite dark. "See, when The Rebirth shows up in the story, that's it. The Shadowless ones are wiped out and that's the end." Then, brightening up, "Which just means that we'll have to ignore that part of the script and screw Daitokuji's stupid story!" Everyone then thrust their arms up into the air and yelled out! It felt good, and helped everyone to feel better about the recent events.

"Ah, there you guys are!" Asuka ran up to Judai, who had been wondering why Asuka hadn't been in class. "This is really embarrassing, but I need you guys to do me a favor."

"Do you really need to ask for favors Asuka?" Manjoume inquired. "I mean, besides the fact that you're Obelisk Blue, there's not a one of us who would hesitate to help you at a moment's notice!" Manjoume said with a flourish and getting down on one knee.

"Okay? Um, well, the reason I wasn't in class today was because my mom sent me an old family recipe and made it perfectly clear to me that she would not leave me alone until I could tell her how well I did with it. In a way Fubuki really does take after my mom more then I do. Anyway, I've been at it all day now and would you guys be willing to try it out?"

"Well of course Asuka! Knowing you, this food'll be way better then the cafeteria stuff that we've been getting in Osiris Red lately!" Judai yelled out, and the others began to fear that Judai's actions would invoke a terrible fate for all of them.

* * *

"Oh man Asuka, this is great! I don't think I've ever had curry this good before!" Judai was halfway through his second serving, a step and a half ahead of everyone else. Even Shou was surprised by the sheer voraciousness that Judai demonstrated, slowed down only by his need to chew. Then again, they could hardly blame him, since this was the best curry that any of them had ever had.

"Yeah Asuka, you need to give us your mom's email address so that we can thank her ourselves." Hayako said, just having finished her first serving and starting on the second. Asuka had gotten considerable quantities of ingredients from Miss. Tome, who also worked part time in the cafeteria, and prepared almost twenty servings over the course of the day, some better then others; it was clear that every last serving was going to be needed.

"I'll admit Asuka, when knucklehead here," Manjoume said, pointing to Judai with his chopsticks before grabbing up a bite of curry-covered shrimp, "said how good your food was going to be, I was worried that he'd managed to tempt fate. But I can see now that fate knows better then to mess with a Tenjouin! Er...for the most part." Manjoume coughed mildly, but everyone was enjoying their food too much to pay Manjoume's statement much mind. Even Asuka didn't seem to notice the gaffe; she was a bit busy keeping up with Judai's appetite.

"Asuka, you already spent all day making this wonderful food, you don't have to serve me too. Really I can get my own!" Judai yelped the last part out on account of Asuka pushing him back onto his seat.

"Unfortunately, this is something that my mother will quiz me on. So just sit down and be a good guest while I'll be a good host." Judai looked around for a moment, and noticed that Shou had just cleaned his plate.

"Maybe I can't serve myself Asuka, but how about I help you serve?" Asuka sighed, and then laughed lightly.

"All right Judai, but just remember what you talked yourself into." Judai just smiled that he was able to get Asuka to accept his help, and so he quickly got Shou a new plate before tending to his own as much as possible before the next person got done eating. Shou himself looked down at his plate, feeling a warmth in it that wasn't just part of the curry itself.

"Now, while we're all here," Misawa said in between bites, "I think I should do a little bit of explanation about The Machinator, since that's the next one that will show up." Everyone stopped eating for a moment; even Judai paused the stuffing of his face, though he was clearly reluctant to do so. "To Machinate is to scheme, contrive, plot with a noted emphasis that it is to an evil end. This fits the portrayal of The Machinator in Daitokuji's story, who acted as the strategist to the Waves of Destruction. Therefore, I believe that when our enemy next strikes, it will be by proxy; either the victim will be controlled, or manipulated and deceived. So, for the time being I'm going to have to ask everyone to be wary of the other students, but don't act suspicious either; if all goes well, The Machinator will be forced to realize that it will have to attack directly in order to achieve success, and that will be when we can win."

"That's pretty good Misawa." Junko said while giving him a pat on the back. "But...I'm guessing that you haven't been able to figure out who The Machinator is going to be." Misawa shook his head, but still had a small smile on his face. "The three missing students right now are Aina Yamada, Ken Suzuki, and Eva Nomura. So who dueled them?"

Asuka went first. "I dueled Eva Nomura. Her dueling strategy was based on attempting to take control of the opponent's monsters, but I was able to freeze her strategy in place." She said this with a note of pride, as Eva had been one of her more tenacious opponents.

"I dueled Aina Yamada." Shou said in a small voice. "She used a Spirit deck. I don't think she'll be The Machinator." Judai could see that this was uncomfortable for Shou, so he decided to take the attention off of him.

"Well, I know this'll be hard to believe, but Ken was a pretty nice guy!" Judai said, having just finished his third plate. "He had this really neat Batteryman deck, always had some neat new monster to summon on each turn. Not a whole lot of machi-whatsis on his part I don't think."

"So, we take all these together, and I think that our safest bet is Eva Nomura for The Machinator." Momoe then lowered her voice a little. "And I don't think that we need to guess twice to come up with who her target is going to be." Even after all this time, they could all still recall the duel between her and Fubuki.

"So, first thing in the morning is that we need to organize watch schedules to make sure that Fubuki will be kept safe!" Manjoume said, standing up to make sure that everyone heard every last word. "Our enemy has already struck once at our Fubuking, and it will be over my dead body that it will ever happen again!" Everyone yelled out, thrusting their chopsticks into the air before resuming the consumption of the food. Nothing more was said until after Judai cleared his sixth and final plate. He then sighed and leaned back in his seat.

"Oh man, I am STUFFED! This really was just the best Asuka! You know, I should go see Midori and find out if she has any old family recipes and try my hand at feeding you." Asuka sighed bemusedly at Judai.

"Please don't Judai. My mom will get it into her head that this is a competition and she'll flood me with so many recipies I won't have time to do anything but cook." Judai gave an affirmative nod in response.

"Yeah, I can see that. But still, I want to serve you too." Judai said, unaware of the connotations present in his word choice. After that, everyone save Asuka departed.

"Honestly," Asuka said to herself, musing on the Osiris Red boy that she'd become such good friends with, and quickly got to the task of cleaning up after everyone; it was going to take a while, so she had to get started on that right away. She most sincerely hoped that her mother would not send another recipe; Judai's joy at eating her food only made it almost worth it, not actually worth it as far she was concerned.

* * *

"Hey bro, I'm going to go for a walk." Judai, Shou, and Hayako had just arrived at the entrance to the Osiris Red dorm when Shou made this announcement.

"Well, that sounds fine, but don't you think that I should go with you? You know, to make sure that The Machinator doesn't send anyone after you?" Shou shook his head.

"No, Fubuking's got much closer friends then me; I don't think that The Machinator'd target me to get to him, and besides, I'd really like some time to myself to think about things."

"Oh. Well, I'll see you when you get back Shou!" Judai grinned at his friend before entering the dorm along with Hayako. "Man, I can't believe how much I ate! I'm going to be out for a week!" Shou heard from just inside the dorm, and then he started walking to nowhere in particular, thinking.

It had been mounting for a while now, Shou thought to himself, but now it was clear to him that things between Judai and Asuka were going to reach a head pretty soon; all throughout the afternoon as Judai ate Asuka's cooking, he kept looking at her in a way that he never looked at anyone else, and Shou would know. And there was earlier, when Asuka challenged Daitokuji just before Professor Hibiki showed up; he hadn't been able to even move when Daitokuji appeared and made his role in Judai's near death clear, but Asuka didn't hesitate to attack, to do whatever she could to save Judai, even if she risked losing all memories.

"Bro," Shou said, looking up at the stars, "You and Asuka, you've both gotten so strong, and so strong together; so why am I still so weak? Why do I feel like a third wheel who's going to be dropped without being noticed? I thought I was getting stronger, I really did, but if I can't help you even half as much as Asuka does..."

"Now why do you say that, Shou Marufuji?" Shou turned around to face the unknown speaker.

* * *

"Shou, what are you doing here?" It was early the next morning; the sun had just risen, Asuka had just gotten dressed, and Shou had knocked on her door. He looked up at her in a most serious light.

"Asuka, we need to talk. But not here. This is too important for anyone to overhear, especially Judai." Asuka was a little confused; Shou was rarely, if ever this serious or this confident. She decided that this was clearly something important, but given the timing of it...

"Okay Shou, just let me take care of one thing and I'll be ready to go." Shou waited outside as Asuka programmed a specific sequence of keys into her DA PDA; if she did not countermand what she'd programmed in within half an hour, then a message would be sent to Judai, along with directions to her location at the time the message was sent. Satisfied that she'd covered all bases, Asuka stepped out and followed Shou to wherever it was that he wanted to go. They walked through the woods and reached the base of the volcano. It was at this time that Shou stopped.

"Asuka, how deeply do you care for my bro?" Asuka was honestly surprised; this was what Shou wanted to talk about? Honestly...

"Shou, you know that Judai and I are friends; good friends, nothing else." Shou narrowed his eyes.

"That's not what I saw yesterday; you enjoyed feeding him. You made excuses and tried to force him to sit down while you kept piling more on his plate. But I don't think that you bothered to consider his real feelings, his real needs." He said this with a force that was completely unlike him. Asuka found it hard to believe, but this behaviour...

"Shou, what is this really about? I don't recall you being so bothered by how close Judai and I have gotten before. Besides, we both know that he needs you-!" Shou interrupted Asuka with a shout!

"That's right! Bro needs me, like I need him! But you, you don't need him! You were just fine without him, but you like stringing him along, making him think that he's falling in love with you! But I know that there's no way that you could ever be serious about him, it's impossible for someone like you!" At that very moment, Asuka saw a golden sheen form over Shou's eyes, and she knew that it was the same sort of presence as her Kuriboh. "It's up to me to be strong, to show Bro that the bond between us is what he needs, and that you're. Not. Wanted!" Shou promptly armed his duel disc and drew his cards. "I now summon Dark Valkyria and set one card to end my turn!"

Asuka armed her duel disc in response and drew her hand; this was clearly not a normal duel, but without knowing what the consequences for losing were, she would have to be careful. For all she knew, the Machinator might not even care which of them won, just so long as their numbers were reduced. "I summon Cyber Petit Angel to add Machine Angel Ritual to my hand, then play Cyber Angel Calling to add Cyber Angel Benten to my hand. Now I play Machine Angel Ritual, sending Cyber Petit Angel and Frost Tiger from my hand to the grave to Ritual Summon Cyber Angel Benten." A dark haired woman wielding a fan and chain appeared amidst holy lights. "Now I equip her with Ritual Weapon, raising her attack power to thirty-three hundred. Cyber Angel Benten, attack Dark Valkyria."

"Negate Attack!" The divine wind created by Benten's fan was absorbed and nullified. "The bond between me and Bro is the bond between brothers, and that's something that you can't ever break, not in a thousand years."

"I set one card and end my turn. Shou, why would you think that I'd try to get between you and Judai?"

"Because you have! Bro and me, we used to be so tight, we were like real brothers, but all throughout the tournament he kept worrying about you, and your stupid selfish needs! I play Giant Trunade to return your spells and traps back to your hand, and next I second summon Dark Valkyria, giving her a spell counter and raising her attack power by three hundred points; Dark Valkyria, kill that stupid Benten!" The witch glowed with a surge of power and flew up to the goddess and slew her, and the brief shallow spike of pain that Asuka felt confirmed for her that this was a genuine Shadow Duel. The how's of the matter would have to be solved later, since for now she was going to have to get back on the offensive and take control of the duel. "I end my turn."

"Very well. I summon Blizzard Dragon and activate it's effect, preventing you from changing Dark Valkyria's battle position or attacking." Beams of ice lanced out from her dragon's wings, freezing Dark Valkyria in place. "I'll set one card and end my turn."

"That frozen heart of yours, it could never match Judai's passion! I now remove Dark Valkyria's spell token to melt your Blizzard Dragon into slush!" Pure magical force rushed out of Dark Valkyria's being, rushing to consume the Blizzard Dragon. A sphere of ice then encased the dragon, and the magical force flowed over and around it.

"Ice Shield, I choose one card on my field and on this turn that monster can't be destroyed."

"Maybe, but then you shouldn't have left it in attack mode; your weakness is why you're no good for Judai! I sacrifice Dark Valkyria to summon Magical Marionette! Marionette, attack that worthless beast!" Magical Marionette's doll was vicious, and while it could not penetrate the barrier of ice, Asuka keenly felt each blow. "I set one card and end my turn."

"My turn! I summon Cyber Shark without tribute due to Blizzard Dragon's presence and attack Magical Marionette." Cyber Shark swam through the air and bit Magical Marionette in half for 100 points of damage, and Shou cried out in a high pitch of pain. "Damn it," Asuka muttered to herself, "If this means what I think it means..." She had to hope that she could knock some sense into Shou, or better yet knock out whatever force was manipulating him. "Blizzard Dragon, attack directly!"

"Ha! I knew you were heartless! Even when you do hurt me, you can't wait to make it worse! I activate Call of the Haunted to special summon Magical Marionette back from the grave!" The Marionette arose from the grave, stopping the Blizzard Dragon in its tracks. "Go ahead and freeze my Magical Marionette again; it doesn't matter what you do now, because I can just burn my way out of it!"

The Blizzard Dragon froze Magical Marionette in place, and as Asuka ended her turn, she thought she could see something reflected in the icy mist that Blizzard Dragon had created; it looked like someone, someone watching them. If she could figure out a way to expose this third party...

"Pay attention Asuka! Or are you too busy coming up with ways to lead my bro on to take me seriously? Because you shouldn't! I now play Premature Burial, paying eight hundred life points to bring back my Dark Valkyria!" As the Dark Valkyria arose from the dead, the life energy was torn from Shou's body, prompting even more shrieks of pain. Shou's breathing was harsh and haggard now."Now I perform another second summon, and with both effects each of my monsters has a spell counter on them. Now Dark Valkyria, Kill the dragon already!" Empowered by Shou's anger, Dark Valkyria tore apart Blizzard Dragon with reckless abandon. "Now, I remove Dark Valkyria's spell counter to destroy Cyber Shark!" As the magic force consumed Cyber Shark, Asuka focused her attention through that intense energy, and sure enough she could see the image of a second year Osiris Red boy, one she recognized from the pictures she saw earlier; Ken Suzuki!

"Kuriboh, hurry and attack him!" Her duel spirit appeared and rushed as fast as it could, and while it bounced off of The Machinator, this had the desired effect of forcing him to reveal himself. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing that his arms were lined with countless golden threads embedded into the skin itself; they went down past his fingers, extended through the air and pooled over Shou's eyes.

"Well this is annoying." The Machinator said with a sneer. "Fortunately, even knowing that I'm here won't give you the ability to interrupt my perfect strategy, Asuka."

"Ken, fight it! You're being controlled by the darkness Daitokuji implanted in you, you have to fight it!"

"Heh, as though such a thing were possible; I would never plan for myself to be controlled and manipulated against my will, so that clearly is not what is happening here." Just like the others who'd been possessed, it seemed that Ken couldn't see what was happening to him.

"Asuka, stop practicing lines to use on Bro! Focus on this duel, here and now! You don't have time to be thinking about my Bro!"

"That's fine, because now I've got an idea of what to do now; first I play Underground Lake, removing three water monsters in my grave from play to draw three cards." The spirits of the dragon, the shark, and the tiger all appeared by Asuka's side before vanishing. Asuka then reviewed her hand; Ritual Weapon, Absolute Zero Barrier, Ritual Fulfillment, Doble Passe, and Ice Spirit Restraint. With this, she could play Ritual Fulfillment to bring back her Benten, equip with Ritual Weapon, and then play Ice Spirit Restraint to give Dark Valkyria an ice counter for every three levels of her own monster. Absolute Ice Wall would drop Dark Valkyria's attack to 800, and with Benten's effect that would be enough damage to win the duel. But, considering how much pain he suffered from his previous damage...

"Ken, what happens to the loser of this duel, answer me!" The Machinator sneered at Asuka.

"Heh, not that it matters in the slightest, since there is nothing that you can do to change the flow of my strategy. The loser will die, so it doesn't really matter which of you wins, so long as Judai learns that one of his best friends killed the other over a worthless spat of jealousy!" Jealousy? Asuka hadn't taken the things that Shou said seriously, but if Ken...no, The Machinator were manipulating Shou the way he himself was being manipulated, then this made a horrible sort of sense. Still, she now knew how to truly win this duel.

"I now play Ritual Fulfillment, paying eight hundred life points to bring back Cyber Angel Benten!" Asuka winced, but kept herself from screaming in pain as her monster returned to life. "Now I re-equip her with Ritual Weapon and attack Magical Marionette!" She had to attack; if she didn't, then Magical Marionette would activate it's effect and destroy her Cyber Angel. Still, the intensity of Shou's shrieks as Benten laid into him with her effect disconcerted her greatly. "I set one card to end my turn."

"Damn it, I know I'm stronger then you! I'm going to defeat you Asuka and prove that I'm strong! I'm going to prove that I can be relied upon, and if I have to get rid of you to do it, then so be it! I now summon Dark Elf and play Mage Power and Black Pendent, raising her attack power to 4000, which means that I can destroy your Benten and then have Dark Valkyria attack directly to kill you! Dark Elf, I give up one thousand life points, so kill Cyber Angel Benten!" The regal, tan-skinned elf gathered a ball of power in her hands. Here it was, Asuka hoped that her guess would prove accurate.

"I now activate my trap card, Doble Passe!" Cyber Angel Benten bounded into the air, performed a quick handstand and leaped past Dark Elf's just released attack to strike Shou directly, simultaneous to Dark Elf's attack striking Asuka dead center. Both duelists screamed out in pain, but Asuka could see the threads being torn away from Shou's eyes, retracting back to their source. And as she'd hoped, neither of them were dead; apparently, the shadows did not consider a draw sufficient for a loss.

"A, Asuka?" Shou said with considerable shock in his voice. Then he looked over at The Machinator, who he could now see. "You!" Shou reeled back in fear as The Machinator advanced upon him.

"All you had to do was to kill or die; but it seems your base and petty jealousy couldn't even provide that much flow for my strategy. So just get out here you worthless pawn!" Golden threads shot out of The Machinator's fingers, tinged red with his blood; they wrapped around Shou and seemed to roll him a considerable distance away before Shou could stop himself.

"You, what is this all about? Why did you do all this?" Asuka felt she knew, but she had to be certain.

"I should think it obvious; I need to defeat Judai, completely, devastatingly, absolutely, and prove that not even he can disrupt my strategies! Now, since the pawn was useless, I will step in as the king and duel you myself; I should be able to make you into a far better pawn for my plan then that fool could ever have been." It was then as he armed his duel disc that Asuka noticed that it was split into two, one half on each arm.

"I think you'll find that I'm no one's pawn. Let's duel!"


	42. Chapter 42

Wheels Within Wheels, The Machinator's Doman

"In accordance with my strategy, you will go first Asuka."

Asuka was breathing hard; after the immediate rush after saving Shou, she realized just how bad the damage she'd taken really was. She had trouble focusing her eyes, and she could feel that her balance was suffering greatly. However, as the last duel had taken so much out of her, she would use this duel to restore herself.

"I now play Machine Angel Ritual, sending Blizzard Warrior and Mother Grizzly from my hand to the grave to Ritual Summon Cyber Angel Inari in defense mode!" Seeing the Goddess of the Harvest before her, Asuka already felt some of her strength returning. "I now end my turn."

"And thus does mine begin." At that moment, Cyber Angel Inari's effect activated; in each standby phase, Asuka would recover 1000 life points, and as she'd expected, this restored some of the physical damage she'd taken before. "I summon Batteryman AA, and then I play Twinfold Thoughts." The change to the field with this field spell card was obvious; both duelists now had an afterimage not unlike the Shadow Self monsters that Daitokuji had summoned in his duel against Professor Hibiki. Hovering over The Machinator was a pair of stone faces, easily ten feet tall and joined together, each one bearing a vicious grin and constantly chattering to one another over how they would spread death and chaos. Asuka then quickly looked behind herself and saw a woman within a crystal of ice; the woman herself was over twelve feet tall and wore nothing, yet she did not seem at all vulnerable. Her posture was assertive and confident, and she held within her hands a small fire that seemed to somehow coexist within her domain of ice. "I now end my turn, the first sequence of my perfect strategy already complete."

"Would this be the same perfect strategy that was supposed to end with either Shou or me dead?"

"Shut up! I know what it is that you're trying to do, and it won't work! I will prove it, that Judai's not the only Osiris Red who can surpass his limits." The stone faces laughed maniacally as The Machinator ranted. "It's his damn fault you know; I was perfectly content to just slack off and slide by barely passing, but then he defeated me, and he had so much DAMN fun doing it too! So I remade myself, rededicated my dueling to the singular task of defeating him, and I should really thank you and the Kaiser for showing me that it is possible to defeat that bastard. But you ruined your victory, because you encouraged him! You didn't force him to face the pain of failure and loss, you didn't take joy in his weakness, and so now I will use you to defeat him in the one final way that is available to me." Asuka's eyes widened as Inari restored even more of her energy, giving her words more and more force.

"I don't believe you really think that; no, I know that you can't believe what you're saying. No one who's paid any amount of time with or attention to Judai would ever think that he takes joy in defeating anyone. You're just making excuses. I now summon Cure Mermaid, switch Cyber Angel Inari to attack mode, and attack with Cure Mermaid!" The mermaid gripped her trident and struck down Batteryman AA, but the expected damage never came; the stone faces that floated above The Machinator grinned and laughed out loud.

"With Twinfold Thought, when a monster is destroyed by battle, I can discard two cards from my hand to add two cards of the same name from my deck to my hand to reduce all battle damage for the turn to zero. Thus, nothing you do can alter my strategy." Indeed, Asuka knew that having Inari attack at this point would be an exercise in futility. But, if he thought that his strategy was so invincible...

"Then why didn't you defeat Judai back during the tournament?" The Machinator's eyes grew wide and his arms began to bleed heavily. "Come on now, you said that Judai took joy in defeating you, but he couldn't have been the first one to have defeated you in a duel. Why are you really so determined to beat him?"

"Be quiet! You don't understand, you won't understand, and you don't need to understand!" Asuka could plainly see that he was too unstable right now to listen to reason.

"I set one card, and end my turn." If his strategy was what she thought it was going to be, then this card was going to be critical to her surviving this next turn.

"And now I activate the second effect of Twinfold Thought; once per turn, when I have two cards of the same name in my hand, I can discard two cards to add two cards with the same name from my deck." The chattering of the stone faces was most cacophonous as The Machinator went through his deck, seeking the two cards he desired. "Now, I play both of my Battery Chargers, paying one thousand life points to special summon both Batteryman AA's in my grave, and then I summon the third from my hand. And with this card, my one-turn-kill that no one can overcome is complete; Short-Circuit!" Bolts of electricity ran through the Battermen, leaping and cracking across the field, destroying all of Asuka's cards in the process. "Now that you have nothing to defend yourself, I will attack you directly with all three Batterman AA's for nine thousand points of damage!"

* * *

"Judai, where do you think you're going!? Class is not over by half, drop-out boy!" Judai didn't even hear Professor Chronos as he ran out of the class room, remembering the best route to the base of the volcano. It was kind of funny though; just as he was wondering where Asuka and Shou were, his PDA started beeping and once he saw Asuka's pre-programmed message it was as though a fire had been lit underneath his seat he was moving so fast. He trusted Asuka, he knew Asuka was a wonderful and powerful duelist beyond compare, so if she sent a message requesting help, he knew that it was serious and he couldn't waste time explaining himself to the others. He just needed to hope that he would get there before it was too late.

* * *

"Now, let me see, what do I have you tell Judai first, my pawn? Will you admit your pathetic weakness, or how much you hate him?" The dust then settled from The Machinator's attack, and Asuka stood quite defiantly.

"It would take a whole lot more then some shadow magic to say anything like either of those things." Asuka said with a cool smirk, and even the stone faces were staring in open mouthed shock.

"What?! But I destroyed all your cards, you had only seven thousand life points, you should be defeated by two thousand! So how, how are you still standing?!" Asuka smiled, as though to a child. And at that moment, the spirit of Kuriboh reappeared on her shoulder.

"Let's review; you played Short Circuit to destroy all my cards, which meant that you destroyed the spell card I'd set, Spell Calling. And when that card was destroyed, I was allowed to use it's effect to set one spell card from my deck, Flute of Summoning Kuriboh, which allowed me to add Kuriboh to my hand. I don't think I need to explain any further."

"Wait, then, but that would mean...Cyber Angel Inari, Kuriboh, Short Circuit...you were planning on me to do what I did?! It was your strategy that I was adhering to, not you to mine?!"

"Yeah, it sure looks like it. But really, I was lucky; if I hadn't drawn Spell Calling just when I did, I wouldn't have won. I can plan and plan all that I want, but sometimes things don't go just right and there's nothing you can do about it. You can be defeated, but you can't lose until you let yourself lose. The joy that Judai takes in dueling...THAT is what he showed me!" At that moment the ice prison of Asuka's shadow vanished and the woman within it changed, becoming like the Goddess Amaterasu herself. "And now I summon Cyber Ice Valkyrie in defense mode and set one card to end my turn."

"You...you...you might have bought one turn for yourself, but the duel's outcome will still be the same! I will prove that I can rise too, that Judai's not the only Osiris Red in Duel Academia who matters! My first Batteryman AA, attack Cyber Ice Valkyrie!" An incomprehensibly huge bolt of electricity, and as it neared Cyber Ice Valkyrie...

"I activate Magic Cylinder!" The electricity was captured by one cylinder and shot back out the other, smashing into The Machinator for exactly 3000 points of damage, exactly what was needed to defeat him. The golden threads then tore themselves out of his arms, and the threads that had bound Shou dissolved into dust, all gathering around a shadow that seemed to blot out the sun around them.

"You know, it's funny; he manipulated the jealousy of one boy, but was himself just a jealous boy too. Still, the darkness I extracted from him will serve me well. We will meet again, and soon." Both the shadow and the artifact vanished, Ken collapsed onto his face, and Asuka suddenly fell down to her knees; it was damn exhausting going through two Shadow Duels one after the other like that, and she could still feel the electric blows of Ken's monsters crackling against her skin.

"Asuka!" Shou yelled as he ran back up to her, tears streaming down his eyes. "I'm so sorry, you've got to believe me I didn't mean anything I said, honest! I don't think you're stupid or weak or bad for my bro, I just...I just..." Asuka sighed as she put her hand on Shou's shoulder, and even with this most chaste contact Shou couldn't help a slight blush.

"Don't worry, I get it Shou. Yeah, I can see where you were jealous of me, but to be honest there's a couple of things I can be jealous about you." Shou wiped away his eyes.

"You're serious? You're not just making that up to try to make me feel better?" Asuka then raised two fingers.

"Off the top of my head, the fact is is that you've still got a lot further to go before you get to your best; I haven't reached my best yet either, but I don't have as far to go, and when you can't get any better at something, I can't imagine it'll be as much fun as it was before. You've seen your sister, you know what I'm talking about." Shou nodded. He did know what Asuka meant. "And the other thing, is that you can be tight with Judai and you don't have to deal with stupid rumors the way I do. And if you even think for a moment that Judai doesn't care about you as much as he cares about me..."

"ASUKA! SHOU!" Judai yelled and his voice drew Asuka and Shou's attention. It was clear to look at him that he was on his last legs. Asuka then lightly tapped herself on the forehead.

"Right, that message, I forgot all about it." Judai, while still very exhausted, quickly ran up to Asuka and Shou before his legs gave out and grabbed them tight in a big ol' bear hug.

"Oh man, I'm so glad you guys are okay. Thanks Asuka, for saving Shou." He used the last of his strength to grip his friends real tight, then let go and fell onto his back. "You know, if I weren't so exhausted from running so much, this'd be the perfect day for a picnic. I mean, just look at that clear blue sky." Judai heard a small thump, and saw Asuka lying beside him.

"I don't think I need to tell you twice that Shadow Duels are pretty exhausting, so I can definitely see what you mean. About the sky and the picnic and all that." A third thump, and Shou was lying on Judai's other side, looking up at the sky with a broad smile on his face.

"Yeah. You know bro, we should make a plan for something like that, after all these Shadow Games are over and done with, but before the end of the year. We should have a big potluck picnic and we'll all bring our best dishes for everyone to enjoy." Shou looked over at Asuka and gave her a wink.

"That sounds like an awesome plan Shou. We really should do that..." Judai was now in the shade, courtesy of one Ken Suzuki, who looked down at Judai with a plaintive look on his face. "Dude, your arms!" Even though Ken had rolled his sleeves back down, the damage to his arms was obvious.

"It's just as well; I tried to use your friends as puppets to kill each other and make you suffer. You really should appreciate Asuka, there's not a whole lot of duelists out there who could have pulled off what she did today. I...damn it Judai, winning didn't used to matter to me, but after dueling you, I had to beat you, to see if you would still be smiling after you lost to me. But..."

"Somewhere along the way it got twisted, right?" Ken looked at Asuka in shock. "It was Daitokuji; he took whatever darkness he could find in you and used it for his twisted experiments. So long as you come to terms with what you were really trying to accomplish, things should be all right. Right Judai?" She looked over to him, and he nodded in affirmation. Shou then got up.

"Since I'm not nearly so exhausted, I'll go ahead and get Ken to the nurse's office. Asuka, Bro, I promise that I won't let either of you down like that again." Shou then left with Ken, and for a while Judai and Asuka looked up at the sky, watching the occasional wispy cirrus cloud that came into view. It was clear from how quickly those few clouds were moving that the wind in the sky far above was blowing incredibly fast.

"It's almost like an omen, isn't it Judai? It doesn't look like much is happening, but pay attention and you'll see...just like Duel Academia." Judai smiled as he thought about that.

"Yeah, but I can already think of one big difference between down here and up there; Duel Academia isn't nearly so lonely." He said this with a goofy grin, and Asuka felt that she could safely read quite a bit into Judai's statement. And she rather enjoyed that she was comfortable enough with him to be able connect like this.

"Tell me Judai, if Shou and I had been in trouble, what would you have done? I mean, you could barely stand after running all the way from Professor Chronos's class."

"Huh, well if you had been in trouble I'd have kept myself going until you guys were safe again. Then I'd probably pass out."

"Ah, I was worried that you didn't have a plan, but it looks like I didn't have to. It's weird; while Ken was The Machinator, he was obsessed with forming a perfectly fine-tuned plan, but we were able to win by acting on our feet. Do you suppose that means anything?"

"I just hope it means that Ken will be able to relax and enjoy a duel no matter how it turns out. If he can do that, then I'd definitely want to have a rematch with him to see what he can really do!" Asuka smiled at Judai's good cheer, and after several more minutes of sky gazing, both duelists had recovered and were able to get up again.

"Well, let's go find out what homework we missed out on; after today, the last thing I need is a bad mark on my record!" Judai nodded in a agreement, and the two jogged their way back down to Duel Academia proper.

* * *

"I see..." Misawa looked down at the message that he'd just been sent by Shou. He then turned to Fubuki. "Well, it looks like we guessed wrong, but at the same time The Machinator was stopped before he could do any serious harm, so it worked out well enough." Fubuki smiled, or at least it seemed like he did; the mask that Fubuki now insisted on wearing made it difficult to tell, but the eyes were a good clue on the matter in question.

"Hey, personally I'm really thankful Misawa. Kaiser Ryoko, she's been trying to keep me safe for a long while now, so I appreciate you taking some of the burden off of her." Misawa cocked an eye in response.

"Keep you safe? Fubuki, you're almost as good a duelist as her. I've seen you duel, we all have, so why would she have to keep you safe?" Fubuki sighed.

"I just, when I try to duel now, I think of the way I would play-act going dark whenever I summoned Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon, and of what the true darkness was really like. And the truth of the matter is, I don't know that I have it in me to duel anymore. That lingering darkness within me, can I really risk letting it out again?"

"...You know, I've been trying to go through Daitokuji's notes in my spare time. The man was a complete sociopath, but very lucid; from what I could find, it should be possible for a person of sufficient will to take the darkness that was released and tame it, making it part of them rather then the other way around. And for someone who is as skilled at inspiring those around you to reach for the stars, I can't imagine that this would be out of your reach."

Fubuki then took out his deck, and once more examined Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon, recalling a similar conversation with his sister shortly before The Prophet attacked. "I think you and Asuka may be on to something. Well, I don't want to hold you from your studies, and since things seem safe for the moment, have fun!"


	43. Chapter 43

Temptation, Balance

"Damn it, how much longer is this class going to last?" Manjoume muttered this to himself as quietly as he could; one thing that everyone learned about Professor Hibiki's class was that if you could be heard, then you were heard, period. Still, even knowing that, Manjoume couldn't keep his concerns entirely within his own head; it had been almost three days since The Machinator's attack, which meant that The Temptress would be making her move next. Furthermore, it was quite clear to everyone that Eva Nomura, the duelist that Asuka had faced in the tournament, would fulfill that role and it would mean that Fubuki would be targeted very soon. But for some damn fool reason Fubuki refused to allow anyone to watch over him and make sure that he was safe!

"If Ms. Nomura really is going to come after me, her feelings for me manipulated by Daitokuji's experiments, then I need to prepare myself to face her. You guys should just sit back and relax, 'cause you've all been working too hard fighting these guys; you're all freshmen, so head out to the beach while the seniors take care of the hard stuff for you!"

Manjoume could perfectly remember Fubuki's face as he offered this explanation of his fool behavior, and he was using that damn smile of his that shined through even that mask of his...and yet his eyes weren't in it, Manjoume was certain of that. He was trying to force himself, trying to make himself seem ready when he wasn't. Manjoume keenly remembered what happened when he tried to face The Prophet with doubt in his heart, and he knew full well how crippling that was to his abilities. And he knew Fubuki still had that same doubt in his heart, ever since his brief but painful time as The Terror of Death.

"You know, I'm proud of you brother; I'll admit that sometimes you can get pretty annoying, but it's just not right around here without you, showing off to everyone and inspiring everyone to reach for the top. And now you're getting ready to help solve a problem that you helped create, even if the response is completely out of proportion. That kind of nobility of purpose, that's why you deserve to be called Fubuking."

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Manjoume looked over at Asuka, who was sharing her notes with Judai; he couldn't believe that she of all people was going along with Fubuki's decision! Here she was, play-acting like she was 'just friends' with Judai when her brother would once again be in terrible danger; Manjoume had thought that she was more serious, that she would put more effort into making sure that she wouldn't have to go through the terrible pain of not knowing what had happened to him and then finding out what did. But no, she listened to him and went along with his proposal. Then again, if this plan worked out in the long run, and Asuka was in a sufficiently good mood from her relationship with Judai, then it could be possible to ask her... "No!" Manjoume yelled out in the open, unconcerned with the attention this got him. How could he think such stupid selfish thoughts like those? That over concern with matters of no importance was what got him into trouble against The Prophet. If it hadn't been for Light and Darkness Dragon...

"I am glad that Fubuki has decided to stop being a fool. Since he is now willing to act on his own behalf, I need no longer stand watch over him as I have been. I will now use this time to prepare myself for when the eighth and final Shadow Duelist makes themselves known. Until then."

Kaiser Ryoko, Fubuki's best friend, agreed with his decision. "So what," Manjoume thought, "Just because they all disagree does that mean I'm wrong? Like hell it does!" Manjoume couldn't help yelling that last part out, and it was only after he finished saying it that he noticed that he'd yelled it into the face of a mousy looking girl in first year Ra Yellow.

"I, I'm sorry Manjoume, please forgive me!" But before she could run off...

"Wait! What I said was not in response to what you said; I was simply preoccupied. Now, what is it?" The girl clearly began to build up her courage. "My name is Ayaka Saku, and I need to get in a duel with an Obelisk Blue student for Professor Chronos's make up test."

"And you would like to duel me? You do know who I am." Ayaka nodded at this statement.

"Of course. Professor Chronos said that it would be best if I went for the best of the best, and near so far as I can tell, that's you."

"Heh, you flatter me, but anyone who paid attention to the tournament would know that Asuka would be the Obelisk Blue that you're looking for, not me." The girl smiled shyly.

"Well, I do want a slight chance of winning after all." Manjoume grinned slightly at these choice words.

"Slight? Well, at least you're modest. All right, since everyone else feels that they have time to goof off, I'll go ahead and face you. Is there a venue that you have in mind already." Ayaka nodded with a smile.

"Yep! The main dueling hall, which Professor Chronos reserved for me. He really wants to test my ability to duel under pressure!"

* * *

"Professor Chronos, it is my understanding that you've assigned a make-up exam duel for Ayaka Saku?" Professor Chronos nodded at Professor Hibiki.

"Yes, that's right. Her performance in yesterday's practical exam was just horrendous! Hopefully this duel will help her to learn to apply herself."

"Well, there's a small problem with that; you see, she hasn't turned in any papers for my class for the past week."

"Hmm, well that doesn't sound like her. I was of the understanding that she always turned her work in punctually."

"Yes, but then I reviewed the records, and last week she took a leave of absence on account of a family emergency." Professor Chronos evenly looked Professor Hibiki in the eye, and then panicked.

"Oh dear heavens! We have to hurry and put a stop to this duel before it's too late! Who knows what The Temptress might have in mind!"

* * *

"Hmm, this is quite a crowd you've got here Ayaka. I had no idea there were so many students interested in the outcome of a practical make-up exam." Ayaka tittered slightly.

"Well, I prefer to think of them as practical make-_out_ exams; they're so much more fun!" What? Manjoume became intensely confused. Granted, he hadn't known the girl for very long, but that sort of thing seemed extremely out of character for what he'd seen of her. Then he noticed that there was a decidedly disproportionate representation of boys in the audience, who whooped and hollered at her play on words.

"I see, and I take it that you have some way of...I'm sorry, can we just duel? I don't want to waste my time trying to figure out what you're getting at." Ayaka then pouted, a very fake pout at that.

"Ah, but that's where most of the fun is! But, since you insist, I'll duel you for real, which means I have to show you my real face now!" Before Manjoume could respond, he stared as every last bit of Ayaka's seeming seemed to melt away, revealing a completely different face and build that Manjoume recognized almost immediately.

"Eva!" She smiled as her disguise melted away and pooled into...the artifact had taken a very strange form this time around; it looked to be a solid gold bodice. Manjoume also couldn't help but notice that in place of a duel disc she seemed to have a variant of Professor Chronos's duel coat, except that the cards were stored in a place where only a woman could have stored them. Well, a woman or a very obese man. Even the bodice piercing into her skin, drawing out droplets of red blood, couldn't detract from the effect, such was the primal appeal of it.

"Now now, Manjoume, I'm The Temptress. Aren't I boys?" She said this to her captive audience, who in turn showed no sign of wanting to cease being captive. "Yes, that's right. And you, Manjoume, I've decided that I'm going to have you be the centerpiece of my little power-play. The Fubuking verses The Temptress, with the heart and soul of one Jun Manjoume on the line; doesn't that just sound delicious? The kind of sordid triangle that everyone just loves to read and watch and hear about?"

"You, you're insane! Just like all the others, you were driven mad by Daitokuji's expreiments. There's only one thing that you'll listen to, and that's the force of a True Duelist. Let's duel!"

"Yes, let's, and being that I'm the lady, I'll go first! First, I summon Alluring Queen Level One in defense mode."

"Heh, that pathetic card again? Trust me, I remember Fubuki's duel against you quite well, and Asuka's told me about her duel against you, so what makes you think that I won't just destroy that failure of a card before you can ever level it up at all?"

"Because this time, I have my true awakened power. My personal darkness, Beckoning Voice!" As soon as The Temptress played the field spell card, Manjoume began to hear some very disturbing whispers in his ears, and the lights grew dim, the total effect as though he were in a very seedy bar, the kind of place that no student ever belonged. "Now, with Beckoning Voice I can skip my battle phase and designate a level four monster or lower in your deck, and equip it to my Alluring Queen Level One. Come to me, Masked Dragon!" Masked Dragon flew out of Manjoume's deck, clearly submissive before its new queen. "Oh my, it looks like I will be able to show you my most beautiful queen after all. Your turn Manjoume."

"Heh, so this is your strategy? I'll admit, it's a creative way to acquire material for your monster, but I'm afraid that your queen still has only a zero defence, which means that before my Lance Lindwurm it is nothing!" A humanoid dragon in golden armor and wielding a double-headed lance, Lance Lindwurm was able to strike through Alluring Queen's defenses, subjecting The Temptress to 1800 points of damage.

"My oh my, I guess the big boy really does think he's managed to do something impressive. Yes, I think I'll let you in on a little secret Manjoume; see, the very moment this duel started every monitor on this island displayed a wonderful little broadcast of this momentous occasion. But that shouldn't worry you, should it Manjoume? You are used to being in the limelight, aren't you?"

"Of course I am! I've competed in countless junior tournaments in my youth and have had my picture in the papers many times. Whatever you intend to accomplish with this stunt, it won't work! I set one card to end my turn."

"Oh boy, now at last I can show everyone, especially that little bitch Fubuki, the power of my Alluring Queen; Alluring Queen Level One, level up Three!" As the Masked Dragon perished, the Alluring Queen grew more beautiful, more voluptuous. Lance Lindwurm was immediately claimed by her charm.

"Wait, what the hell did you call Fubuki?"

"A bitch. I should think it pretty clear, since he's actually the biggest bitch in the whole damn school you know. He keeps leading everyone on and on, not caring who's heart he breaks. Well, I don't see any reason why I should have to put up with that jerk, and neither should you." Manjoume's eyes grew wide.

"What the hell are you implying." The Temptress winked in a sultry manner, but did not answer that question.

"Now, Alluring Queen Level Three gains half the attack power of the equipped monster, but unfortunately she can't attack directly. So what I'm going to do instead is skip my normal summon with Beckoning Voice and recover half your monster's attack points as lifepoints." The Temptress then sauntered over to Lance Lindwurm and ran her fingers across it's arms. Despite the species divide and other factors, Lance Lindwurm was very receptive to this treatment. "But I'm not going to stop there; I now play Level Up! And sacrifice Level Three for Level Five!" Once more the queen grew more beautiful, and just plain grew a little more in a way that the entire audience approved of whole-heartedly. "And now I equip her with another Masked Dragon from your deck, raising her attack power to twenty-two hundred. So, I'm going to set one card, and end my turn."

"Heh, while I have a suspicion of what card you just set down, it doesn't matter in the slightest what it is, because I'm going to destroy it! First I summon Shine Dragon to the field and sacrifice it to destroy your face down card." Shine Dragon became a spear of light and destroyed the now revealed Magician's Circle. "Now I'll set two more cards and end my turn."

"Ah, isn't that cute? He thinks he can keep himself safe by being all alone on the battlefield. Well boys, should I prove him wrong?" A resounding cheer answered in the affirmative. "All right then, I level up Alluring Queen from Five to Seven!" Alluring Queen kicked the Masked Dragon away and her gown became more revealing. "Now, Alluring Queen Level Seven will claim your Rare Metal Dragon from your deck!" Manjoume growled a little; it was one thing when she was claiming the Masked Dragons, but this was the only Rare Metal Dragon in his deck! "Now, unlike the previous levels, Alluring Queen gets the full attack power of the equipped monster. And, while you might be thinking that I can't attack, Alluring Battlefield has one last effect; see, by discarding a level six or higher monster from my hand, I can attack anyway! Goodbye Mutant Mindmaster, and attack my Alluring Queen!"

"Not so fast! I activate Descending Dragon to special summon Golem Dragon from my hand in defense mode!"

"Just like I'd hoped! I play the quick spell Alluring Death to destroy one monster on your field who's defense is lower then the attack of Alluring Queen's equipped monster." The Rare Metal Dragon leaped onto the Golem Dragon and tore it apart, and the Alluring Queen Level Seven towered over Manjoume, leaning over him like a predator.

"Geh...just attack already!" Alluring Queen Level Seven smiled as she shoved Manjoume down, straddling him. The laughter of the audience was deafening.

"Only a little wussy boy wouldn't accept an advance like that!"

"Yeah Manjoume, take it like a man!"

"Hey, maybe he doesn't think he can 'perform' under pressure!"

"Or maybe he doesn't want to do it with 'her'!"

"Shut up!" Manjoume tried to yell, but the effect was ruined by his wandering eyes. He couldn't help himself, or at least he told himself that. Finally, the Alluring Queen Level Seven got up off of him, having torn into him for 3900 points of damage.

"Ah, you're struggling Manjoume. Ooh, I know I know, it's because you think that Fubuki values fidelity, don't you? You think that if you are brave and powerful and pure, that Fubuki will see the light of your heart and change his ways. It's a fool dream. You should just give up on that and be with someone like me; after all, even if I do step on your heart and throw you away like yesterday's trash, at least you'll be able to show your face in high society afterwards. I doubt that your brothers will be so accommodating, even with a successful relationship with Fubuki. Oh, and speaking of your brothers, I couldn't help but notice that you had that bug they implanted into your duel disc disabled and removed. So, when this duel started I also gave them a first row view of the events."

"What!" But, but that would mean...

"Go on, give into temptation. You can lose this one little duel; your brothers will understand, and approve of their little brother becoming a real man over night. And then together, we can show that bitch Fubuki how empty and worthless all his words really are."

"Damn it!" Manjoume muttered to himself; he was trapped. If he won, his brother's would reject him forever. But if he lost, he'd betray everything he ever believed in! "Damn it, what am I supposed to do?"

"Fight." The moment Manjoume heard the voice, he knew who it was.

"Light and Darkness Dragon?" He couldn't believe it; nobody else could get their spirit to talk to them...

"Yes; Fubuki is on his way here right now to help you, but you need to remember your pride, and remember that I am the Light _and _the Darkness." Manjoume cleared his head, then addressed The Temptress.

"With the thirty-nine hundred points of damage you did to me, I now activate Damage Condensor to special summon Dark-End Dragon from my deck!" The Temptress was pouting now.

"Oh, you're going to keep fighting." Then she smiled gleefully. "That's okay though, because that'll make the after game celebrations all the more interesting. I set one card, recover half of Rare Metal Dragon's attack as life, and end my turn."

Manjoume considered his options; he could use Dark-End's effect, but The Temptress seemed absolutely confident that this would fail. Her face down card, it must have been Destruction Jammer. Fortunately, with the card he just drew, Manjoume wouldn't need the destructive power of darkness to win. No, he also had the power of light!

"I now sacrifice my Dark-End Dragon to summon Divine Dragon Excelion and activate Chain Destruction to send my two remaining Excelions from my deck to the grave. And with two in the grave, Divine Dragon Excelion gains one thousand attack points and can attack twice in one turn."

"Ah, but Divine Dragon Excelion still only has twenty-five hundred attack points to Alluring Queen Level Seven's thirty-nine hundred. Ooh, maybe you're going to play Mystical Space Typhoon to give you the edge!"

"Not likely. No, I'm going to call upon a friend, a partner who's been there for me in every duel I've ever won. I play Sacrifice of Light and Darkness, sending Light and Darkness Dragon from my deck to my grave. This has two effects; first of all, My Divine Dragon Excelion gains fourteen hundred attack points. And second, I can negate the effect of one card on the field!" Alluring Queen Level Seven got a panicked look on her face as she saw the Rare Metal Dragon abandon her, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Divine Dragon Excelion then attacked, and with its second attack it finished The Temptress off.

As with all the others, Eva's artifact dissolved into dust, but considering the form her artifact took, this could potentially turn very ugly for the girl who'd been leading on so many young men.

"Oh, she didn't last long at all. Still, her approach gathered quite a bit of darkness into this place. Just one more to go, and then I will acquire my real power. So long!" The shadow disappeared, taking the artifact with it as the boys in the in the audience began to make their way down, their eyes undeniably upon Eva Nomura.

"Don't even think about it!" Everyone turned and saw Fubuki making his way into the arena, flanked by Professor Chronos and Professor Hibiki. "Anyone who'd dare to lay a hand on this girl, this victim of circumstances beyond her control, will have to face me, the Fubuking! And don't believe that I would hesitate to summon my most powerful Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon to crush you all into the ground!" With Fubuki's words, it was as though everyone in the audience had been lifted from a daze.

"Wait, was I going to...oh god I feel sick!" This and other such lines were heard as everyone quickly rushed out. Fubuki then walked up to Eva Nomura and wrapped his coat around her, giving respect to her modesty.

"Fubuki? Wait, what does this mean? I want to think that it means what I want it to mean, but..." Fubuki smiled from behind his mask.

"I'm sorry that I led you on like I did; I made a promise that I never thought would come to pass and you suffered unduly as a result. So I'll be straightforward and honest; you occupy the same place in my heart that so many of friends do. You are a treasured duelist and I do hope that you will be able to shine bright again." Eva's eyes shined with a happy and honest light, and an accepting one as well.

"Well said, Fubuking!" Professor Chronos called out, wiping a tear from his eye. "Now then, I believe this poor girl needs medical attention. Professor Hibiki, if you will assist me in this?" The two professors then escorted Eva out and to the nurse's office, leaving behind Fubuki and Manjoume. Fubuki then collapsed against a nearby wall.

"Whew, man, I'm glad that bluff worked on those guys, or else I'd be in serious trouble." Manjoume stepped forward.

"Bluff?" He was incredulous, to say the least.

"Yeah, pathetic huh? A fair maiden is in danger, and I would have been useless to help at all. The fact is is that even though I've been trying to face my darkness, I'm still scared of it. I'm still afraid that it'll take over again and use me to hurt the one's I care about most. Which, incidentally Manjoume, would be why I can't return your feelings at this time. I'm flattered of course, but right now I still need to put the pieces back together and I can't afford distractions like that. You understand, right?" Manjoume looked away at the ground, not wanting Fubuki to see the blush on his face.

"Yeah, I suppose. But once you do pull yourself together, we need to talk. You understand, right? Fubuki smiled back at Manjoume.

"Of course!" And so the two departed, unconcerned over what certain individuals might think of their decisions.


	44. Chapter 44

Roaring Rampage of Revenge

"WHERE IS SHE!" The two second year Obelisk Blue students who _had_ been practicing their dueling turned in the direction of the bellowing voice and saw a short, slender second year Osiris Red girl, seething as she glared at them.

"She? Who are you talking about?" This was met with yet more screaming.

"You're trying to hide her from me! I won't tolerate anyone who will try to keep The Avenger from her vengeance!"

The duel was short lived, and as The Avenger ran off, seeking her true prey, her victims writhed on the ground, screaming in incomparable pain.

* * *

"Attention everyone, please return to your rooms immediately and do not engage against Aina Yamada, or as she calls herself now, The Avenger. She is too dangerous to approach right now and will attack anyone she sees. I repeat, return to your rooms and do not engage The Avenger!" Principal Samejima turned off the PA system and thought to herself; it was almost over. The seventh phase of the Waves of Destruction, The Avenger, was now attacking. If only she knew who was being targetted in this rampage, then she would know what to do. As it was, Principal Samejima simply had to make sure that everyone would be kept safe and hope that Judai and his friends would find the answer before too long.

* * *

"COWARDS! All of you, cowards!" Aina stood in front of the entrance to the Osiris Red dorm, an entrance which had now been sealed. "If you think that you can hide from me, let me show you how wrong you are!" The boys and girls who'd done everything they could to barricade the door were understandably surprised when a huge golden blade, easily six feet long and six inches wide and thick, pierced through the door and began cutting through their defenses as though they were hot butter. After a few seconds of work, Aina marched into the room, balancing the artifact against her shoulder despite the fact that it was now larger then her, facing the students who were now cowering against the far corner of the room, too afraid to move. "One of you has to be friends with that little punk Shou, and he has to have shared where his wretched sister is with you!" She then stuck the sword out, pointing it at Hayako's throat. "You! Tell me where the Kaiser is, or I'll make you wish that I'd cut your fat head off!"

"Get away from her!" Shou then ran down the steps and tackled The Avenger; well, he tried but The Avenger was much stronger then she looked, and so she knocked him back effortlessly with the hilt of her sword.

"Oh, you decided to show yourself now?"

"That's right! You leave my friends and everyone else out of this!" He then gave a quick look over to Hayako, who understood and led everyone out of the dorm. "This is between us, so why are you trying to hurt everyone?"

"Because you, they, all of them, and especially the Kaiser most of all, all of you are responsible for him being gone! Tomoaki should be the one who's still here, not that worthless sister of yours, but she got rid of him! And all of you, especially you, you're all complicit. I won't rest until I've earned my vengence! Let's duel Shou!" The avenger then drove her sword into the ground as though it were a stake, the cross guard of the hilt large enough for her to place her cards upon.

"Aina, I'm going to help you, I'm going to show you the answer that I've found!" Shou armed his duel disc, readying himself for battle.

* * *

"Judai! You have to hurry, Shou is going to duel The Avenger!" The moment Judai saw Hayako's message, he bolted from the beach where he'd been looking out at the ocean, breathing in the salty sea air, and rushed as fast as he could to his friend. Fortunately unlike last time, he wasn't any where near so far away and wouldn't be crippled with exhaustion when he got there.

* * *

"What, what is this place?"

"The Vengeful God's Realm." The moment that The Avenger had played this card, the landscape of the duel changed from the Osiris Red dorm to a field of bleeding swords. "And now I summon Maharaghi." A prehistoric Dogu doll appeared in the air, glowing with a pale red energy. "With it's effect, I look at the top card of my deck and decide whether to send it to the bottom of my deck or not." She took the card straight from the hilt of the artifact. "I now send Mausoleum of the Emperor to the bottom of my deck. I'll now set one card, and when Maharaghi returns to my hand, The Vengeful God's Realm will activate it's effect."

"AAAAH!" One of the swords that surrounded Shou lifted up from the ground and struck him in the foot, dealing 600 points of damage.

"Every time a monster returns to the hand, the opposing player will take damage equal to half of that monster's attack power. Shou, I will have you suffering, a bloody heap on the ground, to make you pay for your sister's crime!" Shou winced in pain, but found that he couldn't remove the sword from his foot, it was buried too deep. But still, he knew he had to be strong.

"Aina, it wasn't my sister's fault. Daitokuji, he messed with lots of students, including your friend. That's why so many people dropped out last year."

"SHUT UP! I am The Avenger and I won't hear your excuses! Now go and make your move, for all the good it will do you!" Shou noticed then that Aina's hands were bleeding, and that all along the hilt of the artifact were small but sharp looking thorns.

"Aina, just hang on, I'm going to do what I can to help you see. I summon the Royal Magical Library in defense mode and set three cards to end my turn."

"Shou! I'm here for you buddy!" Judai ran through the broken remnants of the entrance to the Osiris Red dorm and found himself in a scene straight from the hell of thorns, but with swords. Wait, was there a hell of thorns? Judai would have to ask Misawa later, right now Shou was in trouble. "Here, let me get that out for you!" Judai ran over to Shou and gripped the sword as hard as he could, but it would not budge.

"Don't even think you can interfere, Judai!" She said his name with a high pitch of hatred. "That sword is held by my desire for vengeance, which you can't hope to overcome. Now, if you don't get out of the way you'll be caught in the crossfire before your time has come!" Judai, realizing that getting himself struck in the crossfire wouldn't do Shou any good, stepped back and moved behind his friend. "Don't worry Shou, I know you can do this. This is the duel that you've been preparing yourself for, I can feel it!"

"And now that you're done interrupting, it's my turn again! I summon the Inaba White Rabbit, and with its effect I can attack you directly!" As the White Rabbit leaped past the Royal Magical Library, a barrier of sigils appeared before Shou.

"I activate the quick-spell card Guardian of the Secret Spell and discard Apprentice Magician to negate your attack. And with Emergency Provisions, I'll send Guardian of the Secret Spell to recover one thousand life points." Aina glared, her eyes livid with rage.

"So you want to drag this out, so you want to suffer? FINE! I will be so accommodating! I now set one more card, and Vengeful God's Realm will once more activate!" Another sword lifted up into the air and flew faster then thought, striking through Shou's other foot. Shou struggled to keep from screaming, he couldn't let his bro see him be weak!

"My turn! I now activate my Card of Safe Return, which allows me to draw a card every time I special summon a monster from my grave. And with that, I can remove all three spell counters from Royal Magical Library to draw one card. Next I pay eight hundred life points to activate Premature Burial and bring back Apprentice Magician, and with his effect that means two spell counters on Royal Magical Library and a card from Card of Safe Return. I now play the card I just drew, Apprentice gift, sending all Apprentice Magicians on my field and in my deck and hand to the grave in order to draw two cards. Now I use Royal Magical Library's effect once again, and now I play Symbol of Heritage! Since I have three Apprentice Magician's in the grave, I can special summon one back from the grave and draw another card. Now I summon Maha Vailo and equip her with Mage Power. And now I activate Royal Magical Library's effect one more time, and I'll equip Maha Vailo with Shooting Star Bow." Judai could hardly believe what Shou had just accomplished; he'd managed to draw seven cards in one turn, and what's more, he had a monster that could attack directly for 4050 points of damage, enough to end the game in one move!

"All right Shou, I knew you could do it!"

Then Shou addressed The Avenger. "Aina, please try to listen to us; none of us want to hurt you, but right now you're being manipulated. I know about what happened to your friend, and I understand how much it hurts when you feel like you're being left behind. But you have to fight it Aina! Please, stop this before anyone else gets hurt." Aina glared at Shou for a moment...

"WORTHLESS WORDS! If you'd meant anything that you'd said, you would have won the tournament and brought him back! You're just trying to ease your guilty conscience, but it won't work on me." Shou gripped his fists and closed his eyes.

"Maha Vailo, attack directly!" Maha Vailo drew the string of the bow, gathering as much energy as she could for the arrow...

"I activate my trap card Zoma the Spirit, and now Vengeful God's Realm's other effect comes into play!" Maha Vailo automatically adjusted it's aim towards Zoma. "When a monster is summoned as the result of a trap, the opponent must attack it."

"Maha Vailo, don't!" It was too late; the attack was unleashed, and when it destroyed Zoma its terrible curse of hatred leaped onto Shou, reflecting onto him the damage he tried to do to The Avenger.

"Now I curse you Shou; you will find no reprieve from this pain, not ever!" Shou then froze into a terrible rictus of pain, his last motion to try to reach out to Judai, to beg for his help.

"Shou! Shou!" The only response that Judai could get from his friend were the silent screams of pain; that the swords piercing his feet were gone and only ever illusions was no consolation at all.

"Now get up Judai! If there's anyone in this dorm that I want revenge on more then him, it's you!"

Judai looked down at the still form of his friend. "Don't worry buddy, I'm going to save you as quick as I can, I promise!" Judai then carried Shou onto a nearby couch, gently laid him down, and then took Shou's place on the field. "Let's duel!"


	45. Chapter 45

A Hero's True Battle

"I'll start by summoning Elemental Hero Woodsman, and then I'll play Hero's Bond to special summon Heat and Lady Heat. Then I set one card to end my turn." Elemental Hero Lady Heat then activated her effect, gathering the fire of the souls of her fellow heroes before throwing it at The Avenger for 600 points of damage. The Avenger growled at Judai.

"Pathetic! This is the same strategy you tried to use against the Kaiser, and it didn't work then and it won't work now! I now remove Izanami from play to special summon Izanagi!" Izanagi, creator god of Shinto mythology and husband to Izanami. Peering from beneath a long white shock of hair, it was as though he'd come straight from his confrontation with Izanami in Yomi, the land of the dead. "And now I summon Asura Priest!" This was a demon from both Buddhism and Hinduism, a demon with six arms and two faces. "I now equip Asura Priest with Axe of Despair, raising its attack power to twenty seven hundred. Furthermore, Asura Priest can attack every monster on your side of the field!" Asura Priest somehow was able to wield the Axe of Despair with all six arms and spun across the battlefield destroying Judai's Elemental Heroes, targeting Elemental Hero Heat last for the greatest damage possible, 900 points. "And now Izanagi, attack directly!" Judai was staring down 2200 points of direct damage and he was already wincing from the comparatively lighter blow. But he was prepared.

"I activate Hero Signal to special summon Elemental Hero Ice Edge in defense mode!" Izangi struck a thunderous blow but could not destroy Ice Edge.

"A worthless effort Judai! Really, you could never have hoped to have ever defeated the Kaiser with that kind of strategy! I set one card to end my turn, and because I have Izanagi on the field, my cards do not return to my hand!"

"Damn it!" Judai muttered to himself; he looked back at Shou, who was still stuck in an expression of horrific agony. "Please hold out Shou, I'm doing what I can." Judai reviewed his hand, but unfortunately he wouldn't be able to go onto the offensive any time soon. "I set one card to end my turn."

"And now I end this! I summon Otohime in defense mode, and with her effect I change your Ice Edge to attack mode!" The red-haired princess danced while wearing a loose dress/vest combo, and Ice Edge tenatively stood up. "Now, Izanagi and Asura Priest, tear Judai's life points apart!"

"I activate Hero Barrier to negate Asura Priest's attack!" Asura Priest was denied the killing blow but Izanagi struck true, and his spear was able to reach Judai himself, compounding the pain of his monster's injury.

"Oh I get it now, you want me to make you suffer! That's fine, because you deserve to suffer! You had your chance to defeat the Kaiser, and you failed! Next to the Kaiser you're the worst one of all, because you had the chance, you could have done the right thing, and you squandered it! The torment that that bastard Shou is going through will be nothing compared to what I have in mind for you!"

"...I don't get it. Is this guy, this friend of yours who dropped out, is he really worth this? Is this what he would have wanted from you? I don't know anything about this guy, but I can't imagine that if he had such a big effect on you that he'd want this from you."

"Shut up! You don't know Tomoaki, so you don't know how wrong you are! He didn't look like much, no one would give him a second glance, except that he was so confident! And he kept helping me, showing me how to bring out the full strength of my deck, helping me find sources for my papers, he even...he even..." Tears were streaming down The Avenger's eyes now. "He even told me he loved me! He told me that he was going to duel the Kaiser to prove his love for me, and that bitch destroyed him before he even had a chance to do anything!" She gripped her fist, increasing the bleeding from her hand. "I can't forgive her for taking him away from me!"

"...I'm sorry about this, but while I can see why you'd be upset about it even now, the fact is is that you've taken this too far! You can't attack my friends and call it revenge and get away with it! I play E-Emergency Call to add Elemental Hero Stratos to my hand, and when I summon it, I use its effect to destroy the Axe of Despair!" Elemental Hero Stratos summoned a gust of wind that blew the Axe of Despair out of Asura Priests hands.

"That's okay! Because by sacrificing Otohime, I can return Axe of Despair to the top of my deck."

"That's good, because now Otohime won't be coming back so easy. I now play H-Heated Heart to give Elemental Hero Stratos an additional five hundred attack points, and I attack Izanagi!" His blood now burning hot, Stratos was able to overcome Izanagi but only just. "And now without Izanagi, your Asura Priest goes back to your hand during the end phase." Judai then put Ice Edge in defense mode to end his turn.

But as Asura Priest did so return, a swarm of angry spirits descended upon Elemental Hero Ice Edge, taking him out of this world entirely. "My trap card, Spirit's Cursed Hatred; every time a monster returns to my hand, I can remove a monster from your side of the field from play." As soon as she drew Axe of Despair back to her hand, she started shrieking in pain. "But it deals five hundred points of damage to me during my standby phase. But I'll be finishing this duel long before that hatred can consume me! I summon Asura Priest back to the field, equip it with Axe of Despair, and attack your Stratos!" Asura Priest cut Stratos in two, and Judai himself was feeling like he was the one who was hit. As he fell to his knees, Judai saw plain and clear the face down card on The Avenger's side of the field. Recalling the outcome of Shou's duel, this clearly had to be a trap monster. And he himself had nothing in his hand, nor on his field. And The Avenger still had Asura Priest to summon once more...

"Don't give up Judai!" Judai turned in the direction of Hayako's voice, and found that she'd brought all of their friends with them.

"That's right!" Manjoume yelled out. "You're not allowed to lose to someone like her, so don't even think about it!"

"Judai!" Misawa called out, "Draw your next card! This is completely irrational, but it'll be the winning card for this duel, trust me!" Right then, Fubuki and Kaiser Ryoko arrived. They looked upon the battle in progress with approval, and Fubuki gave Judai a big thumbs up while Kaiser Ryoko looked concernedly at her little brother.

Judai then got back up and smiled at his friends. "Relax guys, I knew all that. Just...needed a little reminder, is all." Judai drew his card, and it was as Misawa said. "I now play Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and discarding two. Then I play Fifth Hope, returning five Elemental Heroes from my grave to my deck to draw three cards." Judai looked at his new hand; it wasn't just the winning hand; it was the hand that had the answer to this whole battle. "All right, first I summon Elemental Hero Voltic!"

"And now I activate Cyber Shadow Gardna!" A strange machine emerged from the earth, full of a terrible dark power and a terrible purpose. "No matter what you attack with, Cyber Shadow Gardna will have the same attack power, which means I've stopped you in your tracks."

"Not for long! I play the spell card R-Righteous Justice to destroy your trap!" The machine was consumed in a towering bolt of thunder and lightning. "Now Voltic, attack directly!" Elemental Hero Voltic rushed up to The Avenger and placed his hands on either side of her, running powerful streams of electricity between them. "And now with Voltic's effect, I'll special summon Ice Edge and attack with him too!" The childlike Ice Edge ran up and punched The Avenger in the stomach for another 800 points of damage, leaving the Avenger with 1000 life points to Judai's 800. "Now I'll set one card to end my turn.

"Did you already forget?" The Avenger was wheezing from the blows she'd taken, but the supernaturally driven rage was not diminished in the slightest. "I still have Asura Priest, and it's more then enough to kill you now!" She recoiled a bit as Spirit's Cursed Hatred did more damage to her, but her resolve did not waver. "Asura Priest, kill those pathetic heroes and finish this duel!" Asura Priest struck fast and true, but Judai felt none of it. Judai's life points did not decrease at all. The spirits of Elemental Hero Heat and Elemental Hero Lady Heat stood protectively before Judai, brought forth by Residual Reflection.

"Even when your friends are gone or far away," Judai said, remembering Kouyou, who was still in a coma, "They'll still believe in you. Do you understand, Aina?" Aina was silent as the Asura Priest returned to her hand. Judai drew his next card, and then he saw the spirit of Winged Kuriboh. "Are you sure?" The spirit nodded. "All right then. For my turn, I'll summon Winged Kuriboh in defense mode."

"What? Why? It doesn't matter-aaaaaah!" Spirit's Cursed Hatred activated one last time, bringing Aina down to zero life points. In that moment Shou let out a high pitched yelp, and ran to embrace his friend who'd rescued him.

"Bro! I knew you could do it!"

"Well, I'm just sorry it took as long as it did." Judai then noticed something; Winged Kuriboh hadn't vanished like all the other holograms yet. But before Judai could ask his spirit anything, the artifact arose into the air, pointing straight down at Aina. Waves of darkness suddenly washed over everyone, threatening to knock them all down and away, but everyone was able to draw upon their Duel Spirits to stand strong against it. Then a hollow laughter emerged just above Aina.

"Yes, yes, this is it. I have now achieved the pinnacle of my strength. The darkness that I have absorbed through these duels from all over this island, in all these different circumstances, they have completed me. That is, I have completed myself. But before I depart to claim my last victim, I will take care of this...loose end." The shadow then seemed to leer at Aina, even though it had no face or eyes. "I can sense in you the desire to die to end your suffering. I will be more then pleased to grant this desire!" The artifact then rushed for Aina's throat, far too fast and powerful for anyone to stop. And yet Winged Kuriboh was able to intercept it at the last second, negating the force and momentum of that weapon.

"Winged Kuriboh!" Judai ran up to try and take hold of Winged Kuriboh, but his hands just passed through the little creature. But as it disappeared, Judai heard a little, childlike voice in his head.

"Need nap." It was then that Judai noticed the artifact becoming dust and joining with the shadow before both vanished entirely. For a while the wrecked Osiris Red dorm was silent, and then a soft sobbing came from Aina.

"I just...I just wanted him to come back. I didn't...I didn't mean for all this to happen...I was just..." Her breathing was short, ragged, and then Shou walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"We know; there were a lot of duelists like you, who had their feelings manipulated and twisted until nothing was right anymore. But you can get better, and I'm sure one day you'll find your friend again. Now, we should get you to Ayukawa, those cuts look pretty bad." Aina nodded reluctantly and took Shou's hand to lift herself back up, pointedly avoiding looking at the Kaiser. And as everyone escorted her, one thought dominated their minds; who was the Shadow going to target? And would they still be able to stop it when it began the final attack on Duel Academia?

* * *

"Three days. Three days and there's still no sign of that damn shadow!" Manjoume kept his voice down, as they were supposed to be studying during Principal Samejima's study break. Fortunately, the others could hear him just fine.

"I know what you mean man, 'cause I really just want this whole thing to be over with so dueling can be fun again!" Judai was actually something of a guide to the others on how to make it look as though they were studying without actually studying. Normally Asuka or Shou would discourage this sort of behavior, but on this occasion they sought his advice on the matter.

"I'm thinking...the shadow said that it had reached it's full power, but what if it hadn't really?" Asuka threw this out, wondering how it would fare.

"Go on, go on." Momoe said, sitting rather close to Junko.

"Well, the shadow tried to kill Aina at the end there. What if it didn't just throw that in but was trying to get the last of the darkness it needed in one burst?" Everyone took a moment to contemplate this.

"Could be." Junko said, noticing how unconsciously close Judai, Asuka, and Shou were sitting together.

"...There's been something about all this that's been bothering me."

"What do you mean Misawa?" Shou replied, looking quizzicaly at him.

"Yeah, Asuka just came up with a good reason for why the shadow is delaying." Hayako said, noticing out of the corner of her eye the slightly melancholy look in Manjoume's eyes.

"Six of the seven Shadow Duelists, they'd been prepared for their role this year in the previous year. But despite all my efforts, I haven't been able to find one record of Fubuki being taken down into Daitokuji's lair until the day of the tournament. So why the deviance? And what does it mean?" Everyone wracked their minds, but there were still too many unknowns about this whole situation to come up with an even half-way satisfactory answer. So they decided to stop pretending to study, actually study, and hope that whenever the shadow did strike that they would be ready for it.


	46. Chapter 46

Rebirth of the Kaiser, The Rebirth of Disaster

"One final enemy left." Kaiser Ryoko was in her room, meditating. "With each phase of the enemy's attack, the enemy's power grew more and more dangerous. Judai and his friends have been able to handle the threat thus far, but at every step of the way they have been injured in some way. It is for this reason that I must be ready to battle the final enemy at a moment's notice before any further harm is done to anyone else."

"How brave. How noble. How selfless. Truly such conduct and desire is worthy of the title Kaiser." Kiaser Ryoko opened her eyes and saw herself sitting across from herself. A quick glance at her surroundings confirmed that she was no longer in her own room; they were now in an empty void, clearly an illusion but nevertheless a persistent one.

"You are aiming quite high indeed, Shadow. You must have gathered a great deal of strength if you believe that you will be able to claim me as your pawn." The other Ryoko laughed mildly.

"A pawn? No, why would I desire to make one such as us, a pawn? I have come only to offer my help. After all, being surrounded by so many jackals and vultures, day in and day out, it would be enough to drive anyone mad. Except for us, the Kaiser Ryoko."

"And what makes you believe that I would ever want your help? You are the one who attempted to use Fubuki to kill his sister and her friend. You targeted him twice more in the course of your attacks." Kaiser Ryoko then stood up, facing down her doppelganger. "Why should I even let you speak another word when you have done all this? Why shouldn't I just destroy you now?" The other Ryoko stood up, facing the Kaiser down in turn.

"Why indeed? If you truly had no doubts at all, if you were completely committed to destroying me, then even I would not be able to reach you. But you do doubt." The other Ryoko snapped her finger, and Fubuki, from when he was the Terror of Death, appeared before them.

"I felt so free, so free. No more having to pretend that I gave one whit of concern to those around me, least of all that worthless sister of mine! Oh, if only I had gotten around to dealing with that bitch the Kaiser, the only woman to have ever defeated me; it's such an outrage!" The Terror of Death vanished as he howled, and the other Ryoko resumed speaking.

"The darkness that lay hidden within the heart of your best friend; beneath all the sunshine and declarations of the wonders of the power of love, he is in truth a monster. And yet, you protect him. You coddle him, and keep trying to assure him that he is not what he is. Why? What reason could you have for keeping him around instead of casting him aside?" Kaiser Ryoko glared at the other Ryoko, her voice low and deadly.

"Reminding me of what had happened to him will not affect me in the slightest. I am fully aware of the tortures and experiments that were conducted to bring about that monster. While Fubuki's recovery has been long and hard, he is now almost fully his old self again. That monster may have come from him, but it was no more him, then you are me." The other Ryoko grinned.

"I am not you? How absurd! I know everything about you, right down to your innermost thoughts, doubts, and even your darkness. You do admit that you posses darkness in your heart, yes? After all, even Fubuki did." The other Ryoko now began to walk around Kaiser Ryoko in a circle. The Kaiser Ryoko only followed with her eyes.

"I will concede that there have been times when I have felt impulses that I am not proud of, but it is nothing that you can use to affect me."

"Is that so? What about the impulses, concerning this young boy?" Judai Yuki suddenly appeared, grinning in a cocky manner.

"Third times the charm Kaiser. You beat me down easily on our first duel, but the second didn't go so smoothly, now did it? You almost lost your perfect record, and if you had summoned anything less then the Mirage Knight no one would have been able to respect you afterwards. And I've just been getting stronger and stronger, and you've already peaked out." Judai then vanished as the Kaiser struck her fist through the space his head had occupied.

"Ah, the one-two punch; I remind of the fall of your friend, and then I remind you of your enemy, and this is the response that is produced. And don't forget, it was Judai and Asuka who defeated the Terror of Death, not you. You, in fact, have been quite incidental during this whole battle. You say it is because you were saving yourself to face the final enemy, out of respect for your best friend's sister and her friends. But we know that that's a lie. You have been forced to hold back because of the weakness of Fubuki. Now, why on earth should you be forced to hold back, on _his _account?" The other Ryoko leered, grinned, as the Kaiser Ryoko calmed herself, slowing down her breathing, restoring her composure.

"I have only been keeping my friend safe until such time that he could defend himself once more. I have held back nothing."

"Wrong. You may not have been listening, but I have." Voices suddenly began to echo in the darkness.

"Damn it, I can't believe that Judai didn't kick that bitch's ass!"

"Yeah, I know what you mean! I mean, if he'd won then the Kaiser would have to admit that she's mortal like the rest of us!"

"Heh, I don't care if it's Judai, but I just want some _guy_ to show her that _she_ doesn't belong at the top!"

"I'm telling you, if Fubuki were to just go all out against Ryoko, then there's no doubt that he'd win!"

"Yeah, just because he's all soft on her we have to deal with that damn _woman_ being at the top!" The voices ceased.

"Quaint, but we both know that no one has ever said anything of the sort!" Kaiser Ryoko said, far more harshly then intended.

"Hmm, sounds like someone is beginning to lose their self-control. But I'm not surprised at your denial; you have to listen deep, deep into the heart to hear the truth. Having peered into the darkness of every duelist on this island, I know all the true thoughts that no one will ever admit to. Even yours, Kaiser. It's funny, really. That title; it's a masculine one. But, looking at you, I can see why you would choose such a title for yourself. You and Asuka, you share this in common, you know; you wish to be respected, acknowledged for your power and not your form. But, can you with the power that you can achieve while still denying me, accomplish such a thing?" The landscape changed, becoming the stage of the Japanese division of the Pro Dueling League. Kaiser Ryoko stood before a towering man, her Dark Magician having just destroyed his monster with the Thousand Knives spell card and destroyed his traps with the Dark Magic Attack spell card.

"Heh, that's cute, but why don't you go ahead and bring out the Dark Magician Girl? I'm sure the fans would appreciate that from someone like you."

"Silence! I will not be mocked! Dark Magician, attack directly and finish this!" The Dark Magician did so, and as the Kaiser's opponent got back up from his defeat, everything reset.

"Heh, let's see you win again! And this time no hiding behind a _man_ and letting _him_ do all the real work, _woman_!" The illusion then vanished, the Kaiser seething.

"No matter how many times you win, you will be surrounded by those who will try and try again to tear you down. Every victory you achieve, will only build the tower of your status higher and higher, causing the inevitable fall to be that much more disastrous. But there is a way; a way to eliminate all doubt, to crush all skepticism of your true power."

"...And I suppose that you are offering me this method? What if I don't believe these things that you're showing to me?" The other Ryoko laughed bitterly at the Kaiser Ryoko.

"_If _you don't believe me? We know that that's not true. You can't help it; you were raised this way." Ryoko Marufuji's parent's appeared, towering and their faces covered in shadow.

"Ryoko," her father started, "You must excel in everything that you set out to do. The name Marufuji can accept nothing less."

"Ryoko," her mother finished, "You must not compromise. Gentleness will only hold you back, softness is a weakness. Do not fall victim to my fate." They then vanished.

"And so you never lost. Not at anything, not ever once. Or to put it another way, you never once accepted a challenge that you thought had the slightest risk of losing. And then Judai appeared, a young fool who's already become far stronger then you'd anticipated. Against either Fubuki or against Judai, such a defeat would be absolutely intolerable. Yet, so long as they are allowed to continue dueling, such a fate, is inevitable." The other Ryoko stopped moving, looked the Kaiser Ryoko in the eye. The look was returned by Kaiser Ryoko.

"Then I shall deny them that opportunity. Judai, Fubuki, Asuka, and all the others, they shall see that my power can't be defeated by any force! All those foolish enough to question this truth, shall cease to be!"

"Ryoko! Are you in there?" Kaiser Ryoko was back in her room, meditating.

"Yes I am, Fubuki. Please, come in." Fubuki opened the door and approached his friend.

"Ah, you were meditating. I was worried when you didn't answer right away."

"Worried? Why?" Kaiser Ryoko then stood up, faced Fubuki, and opened her eyes revealing nothing but smooth gold. "Do you believe that I am too weak to handle being alone, apart from you for more then five minutes, Fubuki?" Fubuki then fell back in shock.

"Ryoko? Ryoko, are you still in there? Please, tell me you haven't been taken over entirely!"

"Ryoko, Ryoko, Ryoko. Do you intend to insult me with your every breath, Fubuki? I am the Kaiser...no, that title no longer encompasses the full extent of my power. I am The Rebirth, and will be addressed as such." Nerves shaking, Fubuki got back to his feet.

"Ryoko, I can't believe it. How could anything have ever corrupted you? I, this is my fault. If I hadn't been so weak..." The Rebirth then glared at Fubuki.

"You insult me; you would have me believe that my well being is dependent on your strength? It is I who have kept you safe all this time, all while you were crippled with your own pathetic fear." Fubuki felt his heart pounding in his chest. Slowly, he brought his hand up to his mask as he spoke.

"Ryoko, for too long I've been too scared to duel again. I've been afraid of my darkness, of hurting those close to me. But if I only stand here and do nothing, if I stand by and watch you being used to fulfill whatever dark impulses lay buried deep in your soul, then I'll never be able to forgive myself!" Fubuki then tore off his mask, revealing his scarred face to the world. "Ryoko, my friend, I will do everything I can to rescue you! Darkness that walks in her skin, I will defeat you! Let's duel!" Fubuki armed his duel disc and drew his cards; The Rebirth stuck her arm out, and five cards suddenly appeared in front of her, floating in the air with their backs to him.

"Go first, Fubuki; show me this determination you've claimed to have found."

"Forgive me Ryoko," Fubuki said to himself, "but this is the only way I know how to help you. I start by summoning the Red-Eyes Wyvern, and then I remove it from play to special summon from my hand, The Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" It was like the Darkness dragon, but the whole body was coated with a shining metal that reflected the light most brilliantly. With 2800 attack points, it was truly as a knight in shining armor to Fubuki. "Ryoko, I will tame this, my darkness, to save you! With Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, I now special summon from my hand the Red-Eyes Black Chick, and then sacrifice that to summon the Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Now, prepare yourself, darkness within my friend, for I play Inferno Fire Blast, dealing direct damage equal to Red-Eyes Black Dragon's attack power!" The Red-Eyes Black Dragon let loose a concentrated blast of fire, and the resulting towering inferno would have seared away much of Ryoko's room if it had been real. But aside from the damage to her life points, The Rebirth was untouched. "And now, I sacrifice Red-Eyes Black Dragon to summon the Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon!" Tamed and untamed, both versions of Fubuki's mightiest monster were now on the field.

"So, this is what you're capable of, Fubuki? This is your power, when you're absolutely dedicated to defeating your opponent, no matter the cost? Oh, you must truly detest me indeed."

"What?! How dare say something like that! Ryoko is my most treasured friend and I won't have you saying things like that!"

"Ah, but it's true. Look; I summon The Maiden Bound By Fate." A woman appeared before The Rebirth, in ragged robes and chained to a pair of pillars, with no attack or defense power at all. "This is how you see me; no, it is how you wish to see me!"

"Ryoko, don't listen to that monster!" Fubuki yelled out in a panic.

"I strike true. And why shouldn't I? You possessed within yourself a monster capable of committing the most vile of crimes against your own sister, why should your best friend be exempt from your true yearnings? And don't think that you're alone Fubuki; there are so very many on this island who would wish for nothing more then to crush me beneath their heel, to assuage their own pathetic egos! You, and all the others like you, are so weak that the mere thought of me, of Ryo-_ko_ being on top, sickens you all to the very pit of your beings! I now set four cards, and end my turn!"

Fubuki struggled with what he was hearing; this was the darkness within Ryoko's heart? This was her fear, this was her innermost desire? "Ryoko, some of us, we might be jealous, I might sometimes wish I were the stronger one, but it's not because I hate you! Do you know why I wanted to become your friend Ryoko? It's because you were alone! It's because you didn't have anyone to confide in, because you were at the top with no one else, and every time you won you kept moving further away from everyone else. But I could see it, I could see how much you wanted others to rise up to your level, so I devoted myself to becoming that sort of duelist, the kind of duelist who could inspire people to reach for the top, to ease your burden. That's why I duel, and if you truly do believe that I resent you for it, then I can only hope for your forgiveness. But Ryoko, I will win! I play the spell card, Red-Eyes Devastation; since I have two Red-Eyes monsters on my field, I can destroy all your spells and traps!" Both Darkness and Darkness Metal's eyes began to glow, gathering eldritch energy to use against The Rebirth's spells and traps.

"Ah, very wise. Unfortunately, I am prepared, perfectly so; I activate the trap card Magic Jammer and by discarding one card I negate your spell." When Fubuki saw the card that The Rebirth sent to the grave, he gasped in shock.

"The Dark Magician! But Ryoko...how could you just toss that card aside? How?"

"I've already explained this to you; I am The Rebirth, and old attachments, where they would hold me back, mean nothing to me. And now, it is time for The Maiden Bound by Fate to activate her effect." The Maiden's eyes glowed, chains shot up from out of the ground and wrapped themselves around the necks of Fubuki's dragons, pulling them closer and closer to the Maiden.

"No, stop! Don't attack!"

"It is too late. With The Maiden Bound by Fate alone on the field in attack mode, I get to decide whether or not you attack. First, Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon will attack, and will restore my life with my Draining Shield." The metal dragon was compelled to strike, and despite the hellish force of its blow, it only served to increase The Rebirth's strength, restoring her life points to 4400. "Now, Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon, attack, and defy your supposed master through the Magic Cylinder." The darkness dragon attempted to destroy the Maiden, but the attack was redirected at Fubuki, striking him with such force that he was slammed against the wall. He could feel several of his ribs cracking from that force, but he had to hold out, he had to keep going for the sake of his friend! And then he saw it, the Ring of Destruction wrapped around Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon's neck, a ring of grenades that would go off at any moment.

"Ryoko, please, don't do this! I'll do whatever it takes, just don't give in. Ryoko!" The Rebirth walked up to him, a cruel smile on her face.

"I will survive this duel. You will not. And do not worry; I do not plan to kill or torture you like some sort of barbarian. With your defeat, you will simply cease to be, and your eyes will no longer plague me." The Ring of Destruction detonated. The Rebirth looked out the window, up at the sun. "This is indeed a new day for me, and for Duel Academia, it shall be its last!" She then departed from her room.

There was no trace of Fubuki.


	47. Chapter 47

An Unstoppable Attack, Devastation Takes Duel Academia

"Attention, all false duelists here in Duel Academia." All across the island all eyes were facing up towards the heavens; the image of Kaiser Ryoko was visible, a towering presence that could be seen from anywhere on the island, her now pure gold eyes like twin suns next to the real one. "It is time that we all stopped pretending; to duel is to battle, and in any battle that is worth fighting, the loser is removed from the battlefield forever, never again to return. It is not a judgment that I shall pass onto you unworthy ones; it is one that you have brought upon yourselves through your very presumption against me. From the lowest Osiris Red to the highest Obelisk Blue, you've all looked at me with jealousy, hatred, and disgust in your eyes. You may deny it to your peers and to yourselves, but I have been one with the darkness in all of your hearts, and I have seen this to be true. Fubuki attempted to stop me, attempted to concoct some futile lies to cover his worthless failure of being. I have done away with him, as I shall do away with all of you. And with your absolute devastation, I shall be as The Rebirth, and bring about a new world that has no need for false duelists." The image then vanished, the sky once more normal.

"No..." Principal Samejima faltered. "So, Daitokuji, this was your plan." Samejima now understood the method behind Daitokuji's madness, of the purpose of drawing out more and more darkness out of the students. It was all to this purpose. "I have to get as many students off the island as possible, and contact the mainland...!" As Principal Samejima reached for her phone, she saw The Rebirth standing before her.

"The security officials attempted to detain me through physical force; that they would refuse to play by the rules that exist on this island demonstrates the irrelevance of their existence. Now, Samejima, I believe that you were about to take the cowards route. How foolish; the very purpose of this island is battle, and to try to remove its disciples from this domain, to try and defy the consequences of battle, marks you as both fool and hypocrite. To flee at this time, is to surrender, to lose."

"Ryoko, please get a hold of yourself! You don't understand what you're doing!"

"Oh, of course. Of course I must not understand what I'm doing. After all, how could I possibly understand what I'm doing? How could I, Ryo-_ko_, understand what I'm doing? The answer, of course, is that I have a full cognizance of what it is that I'm doing, while you have yet to realize your own folly. But I am wasting enough time here. Principal Samejima, you will face me now and face the fate that you have brought upon yourself!"

It had been some time since the last duel that Principal Samejima had been in. But even at the peak of her skill, she still wouldn't have stood a chance against The Rebirth. The Rebirth then walked out of the empty office, seeking her next opponent.

* * *

"Guys, what are we going to do? The Kaiser, I mean my sister, I mean The Rebirth, she's unstoppable! No one can beat her!" Although Judai, Shou, Hayako, Misawa, Momoe, Junko, Asuka, and Manjoume had all been scattered across the island at the time when The Rebirth made her announcement, they all came together almost by instinct.

"That's not true Shou and you know it!" Judai had to be forceful, there was no time to be wasted. "I've dueled your sister twice now, and while she won both times it could have gone the other way! Everyone, we have to keep going. We only lose if we give up; that's what I believe and what I'll always believe!"

"That's right Judai." Asuka looked up to the sky as she spoke. "My brother, I know that he gave everything he could to try and save his friend, and so for his sake we have to try, try so long as we have even one move left to make."

"I'm with Asuka!" Manjoume announced. "Our enemy might think its invincible with the power of the Kaiser, but we've beaten it seven times now, the eighth won't be any different at all!"

"All right, here's the plan everyone;" Misawa then pointed to the east. "Manjoume, Shou, and I will head in that direction to search for The Rebirth." Then to the north. "Junko, Momoe, and Hayako will search that way." Finally, to the west. "Judai and Asuka, you head that way. But no matter what, do not engage with The Rebirth if you find her. Contact us right away and we'll get there as quickly as possible...no, on second thought, if The Rebirth is about to attack someone, do engage. Just make sure that someone let's us know what's happening first." Everyone nodded. They all then put their hands together, in affirmation of their purpose, and then took off.

* * *

"Everyone stand back, Professor Hibiki and I shall handle this!" The Rebirth glared at Professor Chronos and Professor Hibiki. Behind them were a group of second year students of all dorms.

"Even you two would shield these ones, shield those who look upon me with their fowl and unkempt eyes? Yes, you two have also offended my being with your existence, and must cease to be!"

"Everyone, run!" Professor Midori yelled back to the students. "If you don't do what your professors tell you, then you'll never amount to anything." The students immediately ran in response. The Rebirth then drew her hand.

"Tell me, Professor Hibiki, what do you think our odds are for victory in this endeavor? I'd calculate it at around twelve percent."

"Heh, that's more optimistic then I would have gone for; I'd estimate our success at six percent. But even if it's zero percent, we have to keep fighting on!" Suddenly they heard screaming from behind them; at the other end of the hall, it was The Rebirth!

"As you can see, your efforts to keep them safe from me was futile; however, unlike The Propagation, I do not use the bodies of the fallen; all of the me that you see, are fragments of my own power. And even as divided as I am now, I will still emerge victorious over you two, and everyone else!"

* * *

"This is getting really freaky Judai; I mean, have you seen anyone else at all lately?"

"No Asuka, I don't think I have. Do you suppose that The Rebirth already made her way through this part of the Academia?"

"I have no idea, but we have to keep looking, and hope that we can stop her before it's all too late." The two duelists ran for a while longer, until they came upon a water fountain and realized how thirsty they were. As Asuka drank, Judai watched their surroundings carefully; despite everything he'd said, despite that he believed what he said, he was getting worried. Even if they didn't give up until the very end, would that be enough? This wasn't just the Kaiser, it wasn't just the Shadow, it was both in one being. They could lose, which would mean that their time could be very limited indeed.

"Hey Asuka." She stopped drinking. "Do you regret coming here, to Duel Academia? I mean, since everything could come to an end...!" Asuka walked up to Judai and put her finger over his lips, silencing him.

"Judai, we will win. The Rebirth is wrong; even if one or many of us loses, the fact is is that all of our friends are in this together, and each of them is a new chance for all of us to win. Now, get your drink, we can't linger here too long." Judai nodded, and drank his fill. They then took off, resuming their search.

* * *

"Hmm, that takes care of the last of the former Shadow Duelists." The Rebirth stated, looking over at the spot where Eva Nomura once stood. "A quaint strategy, but useless, as all the others were. And with this, eighty percent of all the duelists in Duel Academia have now been wiped out."

"No way, eighty percent!?" Junko's voice drew The Rebirth's attention, and she then turned in the direction of Hayako, Junko, and Momoe.

"Indeed. It was helped considerably by the tendency of my opponents to attempt to duel me groups, hoping that by swarming like the insects that they could over come. But their petty worthless eyes could not see the truth, that one or one hundred they would all fall before me. And now you three are next." Hayako then stepped out in front of Junko and Momoe.

"You guys have to alert the others, I'll hold off The Rebirth as long as I can!" Junko and Momoe brought out their PDA's, sending the messages as quickly as they could. Just as the final keys were struck, Hayako vanished.

"How pitiful. To think that she never even got her turn, how truly pitiful. Now then, will you each try to hide behind each other, or will you face me down and accept your miserable fate?" Junko armed her duel disc first, followed only a moment later by Momoe.

"Heh, like hell we'd give up. We'd never be able to show our faces in front of Judai or the others is we surrendered now."

"And unfortunately, you never will."

* * *

"I can't believe this, this is impossible!" Misawa was in the security office, attempting to scan for how many duel discs there were left on the island in an effort to narrow down The Rebirth's location. Shou and Manjoume stood on opposite sides of the doorway to make sure that they weren't caught off guard. But with Misawa's outburst, they rushed into the room. "According to this, there are only five duelists left on the whole island."

"But, that doesn't make sense! Junko and Momoe sent us a message just a few seconds ago, and even if they fell, that still leaves Judai and Asuka and us!" Manjoume was wracking his head over the matter; did that mean that The Rebirth didn't even use a duel disc?

"Attention Judai, Asuka, Misawa, Shou, and Manjoume." Once more, the golden eyed image of The Rebirth dominated the heavens. "You are the only one's left on this island. I will wait for you at the path to the entrance to Duel Academia." The image vanished.

"Ryoko, sis, I'm coming!" Shou then ran off, and Misawa and Manjoume followed. Since the security office was close to the entrance, it didn't take long for them to reach her. Shou leaped from the steps on down and armed his duel disc. Manjoume and Misawa joined his side and did the same.

"Hmm, all three of you? The best first year in Ra Yellow, the second best first year of Obelisk Blue, and the third best first year Osiris Red. Yes, go ahead. Try and work together against me, it'll be the only chance you stand against me. Go first, but remember that when my turn comes, my attack begins." The Rebirth then summoned her cards as her opponent's drew theirs.

"I'll go first, and I will save you sis! Just hang in there!" Shou drew his card and reviewed his hand. "I summon Silent Magician Level Four, and then I play Level Up to sacrifice her and summon Silent Magician Level Eight with thirty five hundred attack points!" The beautiful and powerful Silent Magician now stood proud against her opponent. "Next I set two cards and end my turn."

"My move!" Misawa called out. "First I play Graceful Charity, drawing three and discarding two. Then I play Magical Stone Excavation, discarding two cards to return Graceful Charity back to my hand and play it again. And now that I have one King of the Servants, one Lady in Wight, and two Skull Servants in my grave, I can summon King of the Skull Servants at four thousand attack points!" Clad in royal blue, the towering wight stood at the magician's side. "And now I set two cards to end my turn."

"Heh, I think we all know it'll take more then mere attack power to defeat The Rebirth, so allow me to finish things off." Manjoume had it, the hand combination that would clinch the duel for them. "First I play Join in Light and Darkness, sending the Light End Dragon and Dark End Dragon from my hand to the grave to add Light and Darkness Dragon to my hand. Next I play Cleansing Presence; since I have a sixth level or higher light and a sixth level or higher dark monster in my grave, I can negate the cost of one card on my turn. I now play Mausoluem of the Emperor!" Behind Manjoume, the mausoleum of old emerged from the ground. "And now with Cleansing Presence, I negate paying two thousand life points and summon my partner, my spirit, the one Light and Darkness Dragon!" Twin columns of white and black descended on the field, becoming a dragon whose power was unique among all others, able to negate spells, traps, and even monster effects. "Now, you go ahead and make your move, but without spells you can't get Dark Magician or any other high level monsters out. You really should have gone first. You've met your match, The Rebirth!"

"Is that so? Well, you three would be the first to have earned the right to be slain by my ultimate card. First, I play the field spell card Domain of Absolute Perfection." It was as though nothing had changed, and yet everything was different; it was as though everything had become more like their platonic ideals rather then the things in themselves. Light and Darkness Dragon attempted to destroy the new field, but its power found no purchase. "So long as Domain of Absolute Perfection is on the field, none of my cards can be negated, rendering Light and Darkness Dragon meaningless. Now, I discard my hand to activate Limitless Blood Sacrifice!" There was a tense moment, when it didn't seem like anything was happening. Then, giant swords shot up from the ground, impaling not only each monster on the field, but also each spell and trap as well; Silent Magician Level Eight created an arcane barrier of runes, but it was shattered effortlessly, and she too was slain. Even the Domain of Absolute Perfection did not survive the assault. The swords cleaved their way through their victims, seven in all, and then gathered in the air, above and in front of The Rebirth. Blood began to drip down from from the swords, but they did not reach the ground.

There was..._something_ standing in the path of the flow of blood; something that radiated pure hatred and fear.

"I...I activate Light and Darkness Dragon's effect to special summon Light End Dragon from the grave!"

* * *

"What the hell, what the hell is that!?" Judai and Asuka had arrived just in time to witness Light End Dragon being torn apart by..._something_, they couldn't see what except that it seemed to be covered in blood, and then it tore into Manjoume himself. Immediately he began to fade away, but he was able to hold onto his being long enough to turn and address Judai and Asuka.

"Don't think this is the end of me...I still haven't beaten you two, and don't count Misawa or Shou out either, but, but..." And then he vanished, his whole body gone as though it was never there to begin with.

"And now it's just us three."


	48. Chapter 48

Queen of Obelisk Blue Vs. The Rebirth, Battle of the Titans

"Kaiser Ryoko, what is the point of all this? What do you hope to accomplish by killing everyone!?" The Rebirth looked upon Asuka evenly.

"I would have thought that of all the duelists that once walked this island, that you would be more understanding, Asuqueen." Unconsciously, Asuka narrowed her eyes. "Oh, you don't like that name at all. Yes, it is after all a name that was thrust upon you in an attempt to redefine you, to force you into a mold that you did not belong to. Asuka Tenjouin, Tomorrow Girl; such a girl can do what she sets her mind to, regardless of whatever past trends dictated for the likes of us. But Asu-queen, she is beholden to an older way, a static way, a way that you have all your life fought against and defied. Much the same with the Kaiser, a masculine term of power that seeks to redefine me. Thus, my rebirth, becoming The Rebirth." Judai and Asuka stared, uncomprehending at the sight before them.

"But you seem to have made another error; I have not killed one person on this island. Not one drop of blood spilled, nor one soul torn asunder from it's physical abode. I simply...removed them all from this existence; by my will they are no more. Where they are, they can no longer plague me with their prying, vile eyes. And, now that I think about it, they can no longer plague you with those same eyes either Asuka. You know, of everyone on this island, I think I can stand to allow you to remain; true, we shall never duel, but there are still outside of this little piece of land all across the world. But, there is one left that I must defeat for his presumptuousness." The Rebirth took a step towards Judai, but Asuka immediately intercepted her before Judai could say a word in response to the challenge.

"Kai...no, The Rebirth, you might think that you understand me, but that you think that I would stand by and let you take away my friend, trap him forever in some void somewhere, that shows how very little you understand me. My friends, they understand me; they understand when I need to be by myself, and when I need company. They know when I need help, and when they have to accept mine. But most of all though, Judai is my best friend and I would sooner die then let him take my place. The Rebirth, I will duel you, and when I win, you have to release everyone, including Ryoko. If you don't accept my challenge, then you can never face Judai."

"Asuka, I think you may wish to confer with your...best friend, as you so put it, before you confirm your decision; the look in his eyes suggests that he may disagree with your proposed course of action." The Rebirth closed her eyes and vanished as Asuka turned around to find that Judai was staring at her in shock.

"Asuka, we need to fight The Rebirth together. I mean, she was able to defeat Manjoume, Shou, and Misawa all at once!"

"Exactly Judai." He looked at her confusedly. "Think about it; all three of them are powerful duelists, but The Rebirth was able to defeat them all single handedly. She has a new power, one that Manjoume tried to warn us about, but he didn't make it. If either of us is to stand a chance, then the other has to find out what that card is and figure out how to defeat it. And between us Judai, I've always been better at strategizing." Judai then took Asuka's hand.

"Asuka, the way you're talking, it's like you're expecting to lose. And you say that you don't want me to take your place, and I don't want you to take mine!" Asuka shook her head.

"Judai, I'll do my absolute best to win this duel, but this is different from our battle with The Terror of Death; this is an enemy that we can't simply over power with numbers, and if we try to keep each other safe we could miss the game winning opportunity. But rest assured, if The Rebirth wants to win, she'll have to play that card; it'll be her only option!"

Judai's grip began to loosen, but he did not yet let go. He looked at her pleadingly, and somehow he didn't have to say anything to get his message across. Neither did she; they understood just how much neither of them wanted to see the other get hurt, Asuka understood that more then anyone else Judai did not want to see her hurt, and Judai understood that Asuka had the right of it, that this was the way it had to be done. Judai let go of her hand.

"Just promise me, okay?"

"Promise."

Asuka turned around, and saw The Rebirth reappearing where she stood.

"This decision of yours is foolish, but since you have made it, you have brought down judgment upon yourself. Let's duel!" Asuka armed her duel disc, and The Rebirth summoned her cards. "I will go first this time; I begin by playing the spell card Advanced Ritual Art; by sending normal monsters from my deck to my grave equal in level to a Ritual Monster in my hand, I can Ritual Summon that card. I send two Gemini Elfs to the grave to summon Magician of Black Chaos." The heavens seemed to crack as one of the most powerful spellcasters instantly appeared on The Rebirth's field. "Now, I summon Magician's Valkyria, then play Double Summon to summon another Magician's Valkyria to the field as well." Now flanked by the two magical guardians, Magician of Black Chaos was surrounded by a powerful array of runes that denied all entry. "Now, I set one card to end my turn. Asuka, even though your motives in this matter disgust me, I still expect you to summon your full power against me."

"My motives are my own, and I will not have them judged by the likes of you. I start by summoning Mother Grizzly in defense mode."

"Trap Hole." The blue furred bear sank into the abyss. "But Asuka, your motives are not your own; that is why they disgust me."

"I'm facing you to save my friends; no matter what you say, that motive is pure. I now play the Sacred Shinto Shrines of Ise!" It was as though Judai, Asuka, and The Rebirth had now been transported hundreds of miles away, deep in Ise itself. "I now discard Cold Enchanter and Big Wave Little Wave to add Machine Angel Ritual and Cyber Angel Dakini to my hand, and I play the former, sending Ice Master to the grave to Ritual Summon Cyber Angel Dakini!" The blue skinned goddess leaped into the air, waiting for her moment to strike.

"Ah, decisions, decisions; truly already you have exceeded the vast majority of those that preceded you in providing me with a challenge. Professor Hibiki and Professor Chronos both came close, but even together they fell before me." Judai looked to Asuka with ever-growing concern in his heart; he knew intellectually that Midori and Chronos had been defeated, but hearing them dismissed so easily did not rest well in his heart. "Now then, the monster that I will allow you to destroy, is my Magician of Black Chaos." Dakini sliced the Magician in two, but Asuka didn't understand; even with the damage she could have done, Magician of Black Chaos could have destroyed Dakini on the next turn. Was The Rebirth worried about the remaining card in her hand? But still, with both Valkyria's on the field she couldn't strike.

In a cold voice, Asuka spoke. "Professor Chronos, Professor Hibiki, did you hate them too, The Rebirth? If Daitokuji were still on the island would even he have escaped your wrath?"

"Once again, you mis characterize me Asuka; I did not possess any wrath towards any of you. I am simply protecting that which matters to me most, both my existence, and the sanctity of the world of dueling itself. And as for Daitokuji, I would have crushed the arrogant little freak if he had been here. Despite what he might have claimed to you, to the others, and even to himself, he would have sought to control me. And I can't abide such arrogance."

"Protecting yourself? Protecting the sanctity of the dueling world? If you get rid of everyone, what meaning can those things possibly have? I end my turn."

"What meaning indeed. The meaning I give to them; I am who I am, and the dueling world will reflect my vision. Now, to clarify matters for you, Asuka; I sacrifice my Magician Valkyria's to summon Dark Magician of Chaos!" The runic barrier shattered as the two magicians vanished, replaced by a new magician much like his predecessor, but with a far more subtle power. "Since I just summoned Dark Magician of Chaos, I can return one spell card from my grave to my hand; I choose Advanced Ritual Art, and then I attack Cyber Angel Dakini." Dark Magician of Chaos swung his staff over his head, concentrating arcane power into a ball that destroyed Cyber Angel Dakini utterly, removing her from the game. Fortunately the previous Shadow Duels that Asuka had been in had toughened her pain threshold greatly; she didn't even wince at the 100 points of damage that she'd just taken. "That will be my turn."

"Is that all? I'll admit, removing Dakini from play was a smart move, but that sort of strategy came too little too late. I now play Frozen Reflections; since I have at least two water monsters in my grave, I can special summon two Ice Tokens onto the field, and then I sacrifice them to summon Ice Queen!" Ice Queen took her staff and smashed Dark Magician of Chaos's, then froze him solid. His own effect then removed him from play, and The Rebirth didn't flinch as she herself took 100 points of damage.

"All right Asuka, way to go!" Asuka couldn't suppress the smile at the sound of Judai cheering for her. It felt good to hear him not just accept her decision, but to embrace it.

"Now see, this is exactly what I was saying when I said that your motives are not your own; so long as you are recognized, why should it matter whether you are cheered upon? Why should it matter to you so much that it be _Judai_ who is cheering you on? And earlier, you claimed that you would face me to protect him; what would you have done if I had gotten to him first, before you could even take such an action? Are you telling me that if he were to be gone, that you would lose all will and reason to face me? Or would you only be able to duel me for sake of revenge and not for your own pride?"

"You're twisting my words! I can accept my friend cheering me on, I can duel on his behalf, and all the while I can duel for myself! My goals and desires have grown and expanded, but none of them are mutually exclusive, not the way you're trying to portray them."

"Ah, your ego remains quite powerful; the determination in your eyes still burns with a cold light. I shall have to respect that strength, and demonstrate my own. I now activate Advanced Ritual Art, sending Cosmo Queen from my deck to the grave in order to Ritual Summon Chaos Soldier." A powerful knight in night-blue armor rushed across the field and decapitated Ice Queen, dealing another 100 points of damage to Asuka.

It was not the physical damage that caused Asuka to falter though; it was the psychological. The questions and issues that The Rebirth had brought up were ones that Asuka had struggled with for quite some time now. It was true that unlike her brother she had no real interest in romance, in playing to the crowds and taking on titles and strange names to her reputation, but this was not born in a vacuum. True, as her bond with Judai grew stronger and stronger, she herself felt that she was becoming stronger, more certain and determined in the path that she chose. Yet, what if The Rebirth had gotten to Judai first? And what did it say about her that she was so worried about the potential effect of his disappearance when all of her other friends were already gone? Were her feelings signaling a change, a change into exactly the sort of person that she desperately didn't want to be?

"Asuka! You know that that isn't true!" As Asuka looked over at Judai, she could see Winged Kuriboh chirping on his shoulder, and she could feel Kuriboh's presence on her own. "You'll always be the person you want to be, because there's no one alive who could keep you from winning that battle! And that person, the person you want to be, is someone that I want to know! I'll do whatever it takes to see that Asuka, that girl of tomorrow. And everyone else, they all want to see that Asuka too! So please, don't stop now, because I would never hold you back!"

"How did you..." Asuka shook her head, smiling. "That's not the important thing. The important thing is that you're right Judai." She then turned back to face The Rebirth, her will shining in her eyes like frozen stars. "I now play Divine Draw; by sending both Machine Angel Ritual cards from my deck to the grave, I can draw three cards. And now with all three Machine Angel Rituals in the grave, I can activate the final effect of Sacred Shinto Shrines of Ise; I send it to the grave to Ritual Summon one Cyber Angel in my hand, and that Cyber Angel is Amaterasu!" The illusion of the Shrines vanished, no longer concealing Asuka behind their power, and as Amaterasu descended from the heavens, the smile on Judai's face couldn't be any bigger. "And now I'll summon Frost Tiger from my hand. Cyber Angel Amaterasu, attack Chaos Soldier!" Amaterasu gathered the sunlight scattered across the clear blue sky and fired a pure blue arrow, piercing the night of Chaos Soldiers Armor. And with Amaterasu's power, Asuka felt more then renewed; she felt that things were becoming bright in a way that they hadn't ever been quite before. "Frost Tiger, attack directly!" The tiger bore down on The Rebirth, clawing away at her for 1900 points of damage. With this, Asuka now had 6800 life points while The Rebirth had 1400. "Now I set one card to end my turn."

If The Rebirth had any doubts or concern, she did not show it. "Interesting. How very proud you must feel for her, Judai." The Rebirth addressed Judai directly, looking past Asuka. "Powerful, brave, intelligent, dedicated, and above all else, she will never let you down. It is absolutely no surprise at all really...not even the fact that you can never admit it, not to her, and not to yourself."

"Wha, what are you talking about?" This didn't feel right; for this kind of thing, to be revealed under these circumstances, it felt all wrong.

"Oh, I could say, but why spoil? That you two have arduously avoided the issue is your own judgment that you have brought down upon yourselves, looking upon each other with lying eyes to a foolish effort. I will set one card and end my turn. Well Asuka, do you believe your goddess can overcome this?"

"Even if she can't," Asuka recalled the first duel between Kaiser Ryoko and recalled the traps set against Judai, "She will survive. I attack directly with Cyber Angel Amaterasu! Banish the darkness and save Ryoko!"

"Ryoko is reborn! I am The Rebirth! Negate Attack!" Even Amaterasu's divine power was absorbed and nullified.

"You can't hold out forever, The Rebirth. I can feel it, I'll draw a card soon that will freeze your traps dead in their tracks. I set one card and end my turn."

"Well, as it so happens, I don't need to hold out, not any longer. I now activate Domain of Absolute Perfection." A flash of light, and everything somehow seemed even more itself, as though the platonic ideals that they embodied were now present in them. "And with Domain of Absolute Perfection, once per turn during their main phase, the player is allowed to remove cards in the grave from play; for each card so removed, I can draw one card, so long as I do not have more then six cards in my hand at the end of the draw. I now remove Magician of Black Chaos, Gemini Elf, Gemini Elf, Cosmo Queen, Magician's Valkyria, and Magician's Valkyria to draw six cards." A howling wind whirled around The Rebirth. "And now this domain has served it's purpose once more; I now discard my hand to activate Limitless Blood Sacrifice." A moment of tense silence, and then giant swords erupted from the ground, driving through each of Asuka's monsters and traps in a vicious display of blood lust, cutting even perfection itself apart.

"I activate Cyber Angel Amaterasu's effect and remove Sacred Shinto Shrines of Ise from play to prevent her destruction!" It was no good; the goddess bled to death, unable to tap her power.

"No card may be activated in response to Limitless Blood Sacrifice. Now, the destruction of all cards, yours and mine, is only the prelude." The swords then gathered up in the air before The Rebirth, taking the formation of a five-pointed diamond. The blood dripped down from the swords, outlining the form of...of _something._ Asuka couldn't even clearly see it, but the mere thought of it caused her hair to stand up on end, her skin to crawl, her blood to run cold in her veins.

"What is that! What the hell is that!" Judai cried out, feeling intensely terrified on behalf of Asuka.

"The Empty Fiend, the ultimate and invincible monster that requires both the absolute perfect power, and the willingness to sacrifice what is necessary to summon it. That you, Asuka, were able to force this move by yourself, is truly a noteworthy achievement. Well, it would be more so if you truly did fight alone. But you did not. And thus, this judgment that you have called upon yourself, I will deliver it. The Empty Fiend, attack. Nihilism Purification."

A hammer blow of darkness descended upon Asuka, the edges of it lined with gold and red, driving her down onto the ground. Despite the incomparable force that she faced, Asuka did not scream. She could see Kuriboh sacrificing itself to stave off the worst of the blow, giving her the time that she needed. She got up and turned to Judai. She took each step slowly, feeling herself fade away in bits and pieces. She did not speak, for fear of breaking the concentration that she knew she needed.

"Asuka?" Judai said, the shock plain on his face, the fear plain in his eyes. He didn't even react as she took hold of his deck, removed a card from her own, and placed her card in his deck before returning it. Mostly gone now, Asuka took her remaining hand and cupped Judai's cheek. For a moment all Judai could see was her looking into his eyes, could see the trust in her eyes.

"I..." Whatever she was going to say, she never said it. She vanished, body and soul, the only mark of hers left in the world was the card that she entrusted him with.

Judai said nothing. There was nothing to say. He was alone now. Him and the enemy, they were alone now.


	49. Chapter 49

**Author's Note: **There will come a point in the story where the text will be in bold. In anticipation of this, I would recommend that you open a separate window or tab, go to youtube, and do a search for Libera Me From Hell. Choose the second video, pause it. Then, when you do get to the bold text, hit play and read while the music plays. I hope that this enhances the experience, I know it did for me.

* * *

The Final Hero, The True Power Unleashed

"Gone." Judai said it in a quiet voice, the word itself plainly incapable of bearing the weight of its meaning; it couldn't convey Shou's quiet determination to grow, Manjoume's pride and burden, Misawa's intellect. It couldn't hope to convey Hayako's self image, nor the companionship between Junko and Momoe. Principal Samejima, Professor Hibiki, Professor Chronos, that word couldn't hope to deliver all that he'd learned from them. Fubuki, his love of love and life, gone couldn't measure that. But most of all...it could never equal the emptiness he felt, seeing Asuka taken from him.

"Yes, gone. She, like all the others brought this fate upon herself, her eyes lying and judging. But now she is banished to where she can never look upon me again with those eyes." Her eyes, they were burned into Judai's mind, like a cold-pack applied to your hand after touching the stove oven when you were repeatedly told not to do that. He felt at his cheek, trying to claim as much the memory of her touch as he could; would he ever be able to feel that again? If he had said something sooner, taken the risk, could he have known that feeling sooner, more often?

Judai found his mind wandering back to the only other loss that could come close to what he felt now; he remembered how even though Kouyou was almost always in the hospital, being treated for one thing or another, his life and vitality defied the idea of him being sick. Finding out that day, that Kouyou would never get back up, or at least not for a very long time and no one had any idea when if ever, he was inconsolable. There two things that kept him going, that helped him keep up his spirits from that time onward; the first was Midori giving Judai Kouyou's deck and his final request, and the other, was that there was no one to blame. It wasn't anyone's fault that Kouyou was gone, it just happened, and this meant that there wasn't anyone who would try and stop the doctors from bringing Kouyou back.

"The Rebirth..." Judai tried to imagine everyone's fate, but the only one he could bring to the front of his mind was Asuka...frozen in place, unseeing, unhearing, unmoving, a cold completely unlike the cool presence that she exuded wherever she was. She had a passion, but it was a calming thing, a cool light that showed him the way, a breeze that lifted the hazy heat from his skin. Skin...Judai couldn't help himself; more and more lately he had been noticing Asuka in a more physical sense. He knew how much she disliked that, how she didn't want her body to be the impression she left in other people's minds, so when those feelings began to develop in him, he avoided them.

"Asuka..." He wanted her back, all of her; he wanted to see her duel again, he wanted to see her persevere again, he wanted to ask her help on his homework, and he wanted her in his arms. He wanted to feel her face, her hair, he wanted to feel her strength, and for her to feel his. And if any of this was ever to come to pass, if he was to ever get this chance again and realize that he would not always have all the time in the world, then he had one path ahead of him. Judai armed his duel disc and stepped forward, taking the exact spot that Asuka stood in, hoping that she left some strength for him there.

"You are ready then Judai, you who sparked in me the realization of the weakness that I was surrounded by and what had to be done to eliminate it."

"The weakness around you? What about the weakness in yourself, The Rebirth?"

"Don't be such an idiot. I am reborn of the Kaiser Ryoko; I am perfect, without flaw or error. What meager weakness once existed within in me has been destroyed. And with this, my power has reached its zenith, and all hope that you once held of tearing my title from me, to bring about the mockery of my being, is null." The Rebirth summoned her cards, floating before her like shields.

"You might think that I have no chance of winning, but there is no such thing as perfect in Duel Monsters. There's always a way to overcome; even the weakest can defeat the strongest at least once! I start by summoning Elemental Hero Stratos and adding Ocean to my hand. I then set two cards and end my turn." The Rebirth smiled as she looked upon Judai's field.

"Ah, a fine opening move. Not perfect, but then, how could the likes of you ever achieve such a thing? Asuka might have been able to do it, had she not foolishly chained her fate to yours. Truly the darkness of her heart was most pitiful. I now summon Skilled Dark Magician to the field. Next, I play Terraforming to add Domain of Absolute Perfection to my hand, and play it." A sensation like a crack resounded across the field, and everything seemed perfect and clear; everything sounded and even smelled more like itself. "Now, I remove Terraforming from my grave to draw one card, and then I play that card, Ancient Rules, to special summon Dark Magician from my hand. Further, with the three spell cards that I've played, I can now sacrifice Skilled Dark Magician to special summon another Dark Magician from my deck." Judai had to admit that it was perfect, that The Rebirth was able to effortlessly summon two such powerful monsters in one turn. "Now, Dark Magician, attack Elemental Hero Stratos!" Against the magician's power, Stratos was nothing and Judai felt the blow of the magic strike him through.

"Elemental Hero Stratos didn't sacrifice his life for nothing; I now activate my trap card Hero Counterattack! Now, pick a card from my hand, and if it's an Elemental Hero, I'll special summon it and destroy your other Dark Magician."

"You might very well at that. The center card." Elemental Hero Woodsman emerged from the ground and struck the second Dark Magician with his wooden arm, defeating the magician in an instant.

"And now I activate Hero Blast to return Elemental Hero Stratos back to my hand." As he did so, a rending gust of wind attempted to destroy the first Dark Magician, but the magician's power was enough to dispel it.

"Indeed, on occasion the weak can manage to overcome the strong. But not every time, not reliably. Luck and perseverance can only survive for so long against the superior strength. And even that strength, if not applied absolutely, can fade and fail. By allowing those that I defeated in the past to get back up again, I invited a fate most unworthy of the truly strong. But now that I have rejected such weakness, I am perfect as I have always been meant to be." Judai looked The Rebirth in the eye.

"Now I know for a fact that that's not Kaiser Ryoko speaking; she understood that the true measure of strength was in the ability to get back up from even the most crushing defeat. That's what she saw in me when we first dueled; I know now that I couldn't have won back then, and she knew it then to, but by defeating me, she encouraged me to pursue my potential even further. I didn't get that right away, but my friends helped me realize it."

"What need is there to get back up if you are never knocked down? The strength that I possess is impervious and denies any such opportunity, for either my opponent, or myself."

"You say that, but I'll keep getting back up again, and keep fighting with my cards until I reach the real Ryoko trapped within!"

"Foolish and wasted effort. I set one card to end my turn."

"You say that, but you'll feel differently when I show you the power my heroes can achieve when they join together! First, Woodsman allows me to add Fusion to my hand, and next I summon Elemental Hero Stratos, and since I have another Elemental Hero on the field, I use Stratos to destroy Domain of Absolute Perfection!" Stratos gathered a titanic windstorm that spread across the field, and yet nothing changed; the false perfection held.

"Foolish Judai, the Domain of Absolute Perfection can only fall under one circumstance; when I sacrifice it at the altar for the Limitless Blood Sacrifice, fulfilling my true darkness. The feeble darkness that you possess could never touch it. The same goes for Asuka, and Manjoume as well. Truly, the two of them were most feeble."

"Feeble?! Asuka and Manjoume dueled to prove themselves, no matter how terrible the burden. The darkness, the weight of their souls, I won't have you insult them! I now play Fusion, sending Woodsman and Ocean to the grave to summon Elemental Hero Earth!" Elemental Hero Earth crashed onto the field, and to Judai it seemed as though there was sorrow in his eyes; then he noticed it, that his hero was looking at the spot where Cyber Angel Amaterasu once stood. Well, floated, what with her having been the goddess of the sun. As Amaterasu was to Asuka, the Earth was to Judai; it made sense then that his monster acted the way it did. Still, there was no time for tears; he knew that if Asuka were here she'd be reminding him to keep on playing. "Now, I sacrifice Stratos to the Earth and then attack Dark Magician!"

This was a battle that had played out many many times in Judai's head, and now in the reality of it, it seemed as though his hero would win. Like at their battle at the volcano, the Dark Magician attempted to block the attack but was unsuccessful. Unlike that time though, the Dark Magician did not turn to his master; indeed, it showed no sign of being anything other then a normal monster. Elemental Hero Earth swung his magma swords in an X-pattern, dealing 1800 points of damage.

"Brave as always Judai; despite the memory of how my traps stopped you every time in our first duel, you repeated the same course of action and were able to win in this exchange. Of course, this bravery of yours is driven by the pale darkness of your soul. I believe you know what I refer to; Daitokuji outlined it quite nicely during his duel against Professor Hibiki."

Judai growled in anger. "Are you saying that I've betrayed my principles as a duelist?"

"Of course. After all, there is no shame in conceding that an opponent is stronger then yourself and resigning yourself only to those that you can defeat. But for the sake of your friends, you betray this simple and obvious wisdom to face an opponent you can't hope to defeat. And do not think that you are alone in being misled by your darkness; everyone on this island, for whatever reason they may have thought themselves to possess, believed that they could overcome me, and time and again they tried. This darkness, this weak and pitiful darkness, it does not deserve to exist. Only a true and powerful darkness, properly embraced, can ensure the absolute victory." As The Rebirth gazed at Judai, he felt as though her eyes were growing larger.

"But Asuka, her darkness was somewhat different from the others." This caused Judai to gape in shock. "You see, she did understand, even as she dueled against me, that she could try her hardest and never win. But she allowed this knowledge to be overrun by feelings." The Rebirth then pointed directly at Judai. "Her feelings for you. Even to the end she denied the effect that these feelings had on her, and you encouraged this self-delusion in her. The true duelist can't be motivated by such feelings; they weaken, divide the will in doubt and concern. Thus, her failure against me."

"Shut up! I've had enough of you! I understand Asuka, and the doubts that she faced. I get why she felt that she had to go things alone, I'm not stupid! You'd probably dismiss it as nothing, but growing up, Kouyou and Midori, they would bring their favorite movies whenever they came over, and we'd watch them when I wasn't trying to figure out how to defeat Kouyou. I didn't notice it at the time, but as I got older, I realized that in most of those movies the girl would start strong, but then she would fall in love and be forced into being the damsel in distress. And I always preferred when the girl was strong and had her own dreams. That's why...that's why I was so reluctant, especially with Asuka."

"But not anymore! I'm dueling for my true self and her true self! We'll duel apart and together, and we won't let anything ever hold us back! I now remove Hero Blast and Hero Counterattack from play to draw two cards. Now, I set two cards and end my turn."

"Hmm, this resolve in you, it is different from before; there is still the darkness, but it seems more...cooperative. An interesting development, which will be inevitably be cut short by my victory. First I remove both Dark Magicians and the Skilled Dark Magician in my grave from play to draw three cards. Next I summon Skilled White Magician, and I activate my trap card, Escape From the Dark Dimension." It was as though a hole in reality opened beside the Skilled White Magician, a hole that that the Dark Magician stepped through. "Now I play my spell card, Magical Dimension, sacrificing a monster on the field to special summon a spellcaster in my hand. I sacrifice Dark Magician to special summon Dark Magician of Chaos." A sarcophagus in a cage appeared, trapping the Dark Magician. But with the form of the new magician, it was as though he hadn't died but had merely been reborn. "Further, with this method of summoning, I can destroy one monster on your side of the field." A powerful arcane circle appeared around Elemental Hero Earth, promising death.

"I activate De-Fusion!" As the arcane forces crashed into the Earth, he split apart, back into the Ocean and the Woodsman, defying death.

"A well timed act of self preservation, but that makes the second spell card activated on this turn. And do not forget, with Dark Magician of Chaos I recover Magical Dimension to my hand. Now, I play Summoner's Art to add the third Dark Magician to my hand, and with that third spell cast, I can now sacrifice Skilled White Magician to summon Buster Blader from my deck." The warrior, the supreme slayer of dragons, and Judai knew that the presence of this card in The Rebirth's deck meant that another spellcaster was forthcoming. "I now play Fusion, sending the Dark Magician in my hand and the Buster Blader on the field to the grave to summon Dark Paladin!" It was the very monster that Yuugi himself had summoned to defeat Kaiba at the Battle City Tournament. "Now, Dark Paladin, attack Ocean."

At the end of Dark Paladin's staff was a sharp and vicious blade, and at the very tip of that blade arcane power was gathered. The Dark Paladin swung his staff, creating an arc of death to claim Ocean's life.

"I activate my trap, Hero Barrier!" The attack was broken against the barrier of the hero.

"And now for my real attack; Dark Magician of Chaos, remove Ocean from play." A shell of darkness enveloped Elemental Hero Ocean, a hole in reality opened beneath the darkness, and ocean sank from sight, from all reality. Judai groaned, realizing that he should have blocked the second attack, not the first.

"I see you understand your error; your instinctive haste cost you dearly. Judai, answer me this; if you did not have your misguided feelings for others, for Asuka, to rush you onwards, would you have made this mistake? No, you wouldn't have. Your friends have in your heart become your darkness, and despite the progress you've made, you are still controlled by it. And I, The Rebirth, can see this darkness, can see its intentions. In short Judai, my power allows me to anticipate your actions effortlessly! You can hide no secrets from me! Even in the barrier of your heart, it is dark, and still subject to my power. This is why I am the ultimate and perfect power, and why your weakness demands judgment be brought upon it. I set one card to end my turn."

"My turn!" No, The Rebirth was wrong and he would prove it! "I add Fusion from the grave to my hand and then summon Elemental Hero Knopse. Now I play Rose Bud to sacrifice her and summon Poison Rose!"

"Not likely, Judai; I can see that you intend to summon a new hero, but that will not come to pass. I discard Magical Dimension to negate Rose Bud." Elemental Hero Knopse stayed on the field, unchanged.

"A new hero? Actually, I don't have a hero that's a fusion of Poison Rose and Woodsman; I just needed to make sure that you couldn't negate my real fusion." The Rebirth's eyes widened slightly. "I guess the darkness in my heart misled you a little. Or maybe you shouldn't have been so hasty? In any event, I play Fusion, sending Woodsman and Knopse to the grave to summon Elemental Hero Gaia!" Huge hammering fists struck the ground, signaling the arrival of the new hero. "Now Gaia reduces Dark Paladin's attack by half and gains the same attack power he lost. Gaia, attack!" With one fist Elemental Hero Gaia ruptured the earth, draining Dark Paladin's strength, and with the other hand he smashed down on the Dark Paladin. But a barrier created by Dark Magician of Chaos prevented the damage from reaching The Rebirth.

"Spirit Barrier; so long as it is on the field, I take no damage from battle when there's a monster on my field."

"...Now I remove Knopse, Woodsman, Rose Bud, and Stratos in my grave from play to draw four cards. Then I play E-Emergency call to add Elemental Hero Voltic to my hand, set one card, and end my turn."

"Now, I could attack you with Dark Magician of Chaos, but that card of yours looks like it would be a nuisance to me. Therefore, I set one card, and remove both Dark Magicians, the Dark Paladin and Buster Blader, Escape From the Dark Dimension and the Skilled White Magician, to draw six cards. Now, I play Ritual Spell Card, End of the World, sacrificing Dark Magician of Chaos to summon Demise the King of Armageddon!" Lightning crashed down from the clear blue sky, heralding the arrival of the new monster, a towering devil in black armor wielding a battle axe. But with only 2400 attack points, Judai realized quickly that it must have had a devastating effect indeed. "And now, by paying two thousand life points, I destroy all other cards on the field." Demise raised his axe high as the lightning signaled the impending doom of Judai's hero.

"I activate Elemental Recharge, and recover one thousand life points!" Judai had barely managed to activate the card in time before Gaia was annihilated.

"A quick and well timed move, as you will find with this most familiar combo. First, I equip Demise with demotion, reducing his level to six."

"No, you couldn't be..."

"And why not? Surely you do not imagine that Asuka was the only one who could bring out the full potential of Ritual Monsters, just as you do not imagine that you are the only one who can use Fusion to the utmost effect. As I have established time and again, mine is the perfect strength. In all fields I am unequaled. Those who have doubted this, who have sought to prove that this was not the case, they are all gone, as you shall be. Now I equip Demise with Ritual Weapon, raising his attack to thirty-nine hundred." Demise's axe grew in both strength and size, becoming the sort of weapon that no one could ever wield, but Demise did. Then, in a flash Demise was upon Judai and brought his axe down upon him; it was over too quickly for Judai to even raise his arms in defense, and it felt to him as though all his bones had been broken.

But he'd survived. He had only 400 life points left, but he'd survived. And now that The Rebirth had...4100 life points! Judai looked at The Rebirth in confusion, and then saw the figure of Sebek. Sebek's Blessing, giving The Rebirth life points equal to the direct damage she'd just done.

"Life point recovery, is not beyond me either. In all capacities I exceed you Judai. You can struggle against me, but you will never win. Your foolishness, your darkness, they have condemned you, brought down judgment upon you. I can see it in your vile eyes, your resentment towards me for executing the judgment that all the others brought upon themselves. And you question why I did what I did? Sickening."

"Resent you? I resent you, but I don't resent Ryoko! You're a monster that's twisted Ryoko's fears into something horrible to justify your actions, but the real Ryoko is someone that I aimed for, someone who I hoped to be able to measure up to before she left Duel Academia. Whatever lies you told Ryoko, they're not going to work on me!"

"Persistent fool indeed. I set one card, and end my turn."

Judai had to be careful; with Demise on the field, and 4100 hundred life points, The Rebirth could destroy every card he had, leaving him defenseless. But he had a plan...first, he had to test the waters.

"I play A Hero Arrives to special summon Elemental Hero Lady Heat from my deck at the cost of half my life points." He could feel it, he was on the razor's edge.

"Solemn Judgment." The Rebirth payed half of her own life points to negate his card, and while both sides had been halved, The Rebirth still held the advantage. Still, that cleared that trap out of the way.

"Now I summon in defense mode, Winged Kuriboh!" His partner appeared and quickly looked to him with support in his eyes. Judai found it reassuring, and promised not to let his partner down, nor Asuka, nor Shou, nor any of the others who needed him. "I set one card, and then I remove Gaia, Elemental Recharge, and A Hero Arrives to draw three cards." The last card, it would be the one to keep his strategy going, even against Demise's power. "I set one card and end my turn. The Rebirth, I'm going to show you, the power of a hero lies in more then just strength. Your move."

"As well it should be. Once more I activate Demise's effect." The Rebirth came exceptionally close to the razor's edge, only 50 life points left.

"I now activate Hero's Final Sacrifice! I send Elemental Hero Earth to the grave to negate the destruction effect that you just activated." Elemental Hero Earth appeared, floating in the air and taking all the lightning unto itself, saving even The Rebirth's cards with its sacrifice.

"...Foolishness. I now activate Mystik Wok, sacrificing Demise King of Armageddon to recover his attack power as life points." Once more The Rebirth surged with newfound power. "Now, I remove End of the World, Demise, Ritual Weapon, Demotion, Mystik Wok, and Sebek's Blessing to draw six new cards. First, I play Force Summon; I designate a monster in your deck that shares a name with a monster on your field, and you must summon that monster to your side of the field." Judai boggled when he saw Winged Kuriboh Level Ten appear beside the regular Winged Kuriboh. "You see, Limitless Blood Sacrifice requires that the enemy must have at least an eighth level monster on their side of the field to properly summon The Empty Fiend."

"No..."

"Yes. I now activate Limitless Blood Sacrifice and destroy everything to achieve absolute perfection!" Giant swords destroyed Judai's cards, the Domain of Absolute Perfection was no more. The blood dripped down, outlining the horrific form of The Rebirth's final monster. But unlike before, it did not attack immediately. "In a way, you should count yourself fortunate; thanks to Winged Kuriboh, you will be able to appreciate your helplessness against the ultimate monster; ten-thousand attack points, blanket immunity to all effects, and if I attack a monster in defense mode, you will take the difference in damage. Judai, you are doomed. You may pass the remaining moments however you may like, they will not make the slightest difference in the end."

"She's right," Judai breathed; he knew every card in his deck, every combination, and there was not a one that could overcome such a monster, much less defend...defend? Wait, he did have that card! He just had to draw it! "My turn!" He drew the top card of his deck, and the cool presence he felt in it told him everything he needed to know. "I end my turn." Judai then noticed something as The Rebirth began her turn; The Empty Fiend had sealed off her deck, preventing her from drawing. While powerful, it was clear that The Empty Fiend was the upper limit of The Rebirth's power, past which she could go no further.

"Ah, no futile struggle. That is a wise choice; were we to have any witnesses to this duel, everyone would recognize your wisdom in the face of defeat. The Empty Fiend, attack directly, Nihilism Purification."

The gold and blood-red lined hammer of darkness struck down upon Judai, but it never reached him, blocked by a flash of light. "What! Empty Fiend, I ordered you to attack!" The Empty Fiend raised his fist and struck down upon Judai, but was blocked by a far smaller hand.

"**You will not touch him**. I will not allow it, so long as there is anything I can do to keep him safe." Asuka shined clearly now, and against her The Empty Fiend could not advance.

"You, you're gone! I got rid of you!" The Rebirth was screaming now, unable to comprehend how Asuka was able to escape by any degree at all.

"It's all because of the card she entrusted me with, the one card that can complete my deck; Kuriboh!" Judai revealed the card he'd discarded, thereby blocking the attack.

"It is irrelevant! Even if she did buy you another turn, you still can't win! There is no card in existence that can match the power of The Empty Fiend!"

Judai looked to Asuka; there was so much he wanted to say, but she spoke first. "Focus Judai. When you save Ryoko, when you save all of us, then we can talk. Now, draw the one card that can bring us a miracle." She now stood at his side, not leaving him, for her role was not yet finished.

"You got it Asuka!" they drew his final card together, the last card of the duel. "I now play Miracle Fusion, removing Elemental Hero Earth, Winged Kuriboh, and Kuriboh from play to summon the final monster of the deck that Kouyou Hibiki entrusted me to complete, Elemental Hero Heaven and Earth!" There was a flash of light so intense that it even outlined the dark form of The Empty Fiend, now no longer so frightening that it could be seen clearly. The light then condensed, becoming the shining form of what at first appeared to be Elemental Hero Earth; however, the differences quickly made themselves known in a far sleeker form and a set of wings along his back, six in all, large and powerful. Elemental Hero Heaven and Earth landed, his connection to the ground clear, yet his reach to the heavens above also known on sight.

"That...that can't do anything! It only has three thousand attack points!" Judai shook his head.

"It's not about power, The Rebirth, it's about what that power is for. This is a power given to me, by the woman I love! I now activate Heaven and Earth's first effect, discarding one card in my hand to negate your monster's effect, regardless of immunity! Left Wing Cleansing!" Elemental Hero Heaven and Earth flapped the left wings, blowing a divine wind that broke the invisible barrier around The Empty Fiend, putting its hollow form on full display.

"Yes, and this is the strength that I bring to the man I love! Judai now discards his second card to activate Heaven and Earth's other effect; your monster is destroyed, and you take damage equal to its attack power! Right Wing Redemption!" Elemental Hero Heaven and Earth flapped the right wings, the holy wind destroying the demon that embodied the darkness in Ryoko's heart. Darkness began to billow out of Ryoko, gold dust flew from her body, the drain of it causing her to collapse. Then, the two duelists called out together,

"Elemental Hero Heaven and Earth, destroy the darkness and bring back our friends! Heavenly Justice!" The darkness tried to fight back, tried to form the artifact into a weapon that it could defend itself with. But with the left fist the hero shattered the artifact, destroying Daitokuji's creation forever. And with the right fist, the shadow of Daitokuji's tortures and experiments was wiped from the face of the earth. It's duty now done, Heaven and Earth vanished.

"I knew that I could count on you Judai. See, it did work out." Judai looked back to Asuka, and realized that she was back, body and soul together. Seeing the miracle that he sought before him, he wrapped his arms around her, embraced her, kissed her. They pulled away for a moment, a sheepish look on Judai's face.

"Sorry, I, I don't have much practice." Asuka smiled.

"That's okay, neither do I. But there will be time." Then it was as though something had hit Judai.

"Oh, and let me get this back to you." Judai handed Asuka her Kuriboh card, which she immediately returned to its original place in her deck. They then looked all around; they were now surrounded by everyone, all their friends, their peers, the faculty, everyone. Then, Ryoko got back up.

"..." Ryoko began to walk away.

"Kaiser Ryoko!" Judai called out. She stopped, but she did not turn around.

"I do not deserve that title, not any longer. I lost, I lost the most important battle that I would ever face, the battle with myself." She then looked up to the heavens. "I could not lose, this I believed from the bottom of my heart. Were I to lose, I would no longer be perfect. And in everything, I always was perfect. With each victory, my fear of defeat grew deeper and deeper within my heart. All the power that I had, the resolve and strength of clarity and spirit, against that fear they were nothing, and I became pale against the light of my own monsters. The weakness of my soul caused my strength to endanger the lives of everyone. I can't be forgiven this transgression, and must depart."

"Ryoko!" Fubuki called out, unafraid to show his true face to the crowd. "You know that isn't true! You know that I can forgive you! I was there, in the same place you were, and your forgiveness of me, it meant the world to me."

"He's right!" Kazuki Aoyama now stepped forward, the scars around around his eyes bright in the sunlight. "I, I was afraid of rejection, and I was manipulated to believe that I never could be rejected. No one could be expected to win that battle on their own."

"I agree!" Misa Watsuki stepped forward, the scars on her neck no longer so tender. "I became fixated with the idea that I was special, and started rejecting everyone that I was afraid could prove that I was just like everyone else. We all have a weakness in our heart, you can't blame yourself for that!"

"Daitokuji," Hidekazu Takuma, the scars on his forehead still deep. "He messed with us all. He digged as deep as he could to find out what our inner darknesses were, then twisted the truth within our hearts. That you were deceived, is not your fault!"

"This battle you fought," Ken Suzuki, his arms still tender, the tips of his fingers still red, "It was planned years in advance, a strategy so comprehensive that even being caught halfway through the last step did nothing to slow Daitokuji down. That you lost one round says nothing about you!"

"It's easy to be jealous of someone stronger then you." Eva Nomura, the scars on her waist and chest hidden beneath her uniform. "But no one really considers how difficult it is to be at the top, to be thought of as perfect. That you fell from the lofty top, is only human!"

"As you can see," Aina Yamada stepped forward, her whole body still aching, "None of us can blame you for what happened. You weren't in control of your actions, none of us were. And as for before, I've realized that I need to stop blaming you for the decisions that other people make." Ryoko looked upon everyone, seeing the murmuring assenting of the crowd.

"I think it is plain to see," Principal Samejima said, "that as far as we are all concerned, you are still the Kaiser of Duel Academia." Ryoko closed her eyes.

"You all make very good points. But I lost, and I will need time. I do not plan to stay here, and I do not plan to stay in contact. One day, I shall return, truly reborn with true strength in my heart." Ryoko resumed her path out, but Shou ran up to her and took hold.

"Sis, please don't go! I need you, I need you to show me how to become strong like you! It doesn't matter to me what you say, you were always strong!" Ryoko looked down at her little brother, and in a rare display of affection she put her hand on his head, and smiled down at him.

"Shou, you have a fine brother who can do a far better job of helping you to reach your potential then I could. You'll do just fine, I promise you." As she turned and walked away, Ryoko could feel where Shou's tears had fallen onto her uniform. She then noticed that tears were gently flowing from her eyes. She wiped them away, and walked out of sight.


	50. Chapter 50

Of Comings and Goings, End Year Celebrations and...

"Man, I can't believe how long it's been windy and rainy and just unpleasant. But we did it, we managed to fit in the picnic before the end of the year!" Judai looked around at his friends; they were each putting the items of food that they'd each brought onto the blanket that he'd brought. He'd wanted to fix something for the occasion, but the others insisted that he relax; he was the 'hero', after all. And with Asuka at his side, holding his hand, he really felt like one.

"Yeah, exactly one day before the end of the year." Judai laughed at Manjoume's statement. Manjoume himself looked over to Fubuki; the man had been rather melancholy since the departure of Ryoko, but there were two factors that kept him from being truly depressed. The first was that the two of them had found time to talk, giving Manjoume the chance to explain himself and what he felt, what it meant for someone in his station in life. Fubuki was most understanding, and plainly informed Manjoume that he was an...open man, capable of accepting all love and in all degrees. How ever far Manjoume wanted to take things, he would be find with that. And so, with the time left before Fubuki graduated, Manjoume took the steps he wanted to take, not wanting to have any regrets.

And while that companionship was a relief to them both, Manjoume had to recognize the other source of Fubuki's happiness these days; the man had managed to rib his sister but once before she put her foot down on that sort of behavior, but he was happy. She was happy, and that she made this decision that made her so happy, made him happy in turn.

"Hey Misawa, you feeling lonely? I mean, with all the lovebirds around you, maybe Junko and I should invite you along with us; you know, just as a one time thing." Misawa almost stumbled onto the food, but kept his composure as he responded to Momoe.

"Tempting proposal, but, I am not so concerned with such issues at this time. The bonds of friendship, are more important to me."

"Hear hear!" Junko called out. "And besides Junko, you know that we need to cram to get our letters of recommendation in on time." Hayako gaped at the two Ra Yellow girls.

"You said you'd gotten those in over a week ago!" Junko shrugged.

"Well, we've been a little...busy." Junko looked slyly over to Momoe. "And when we weren't busy we were caught up in homework; if we fall much further behind the 'king' and 'queen', then we won't be able to get out of the dust. Relax Hayako, your internship is a lock." Hayako smiled begrudgingly; internships at Industrial Illusions were fought over bitterly by the applicants and every edge counted. Still, most applicants never had the chance to speak with the CEO herself, even if only for a few minutes.

"I still can't believe that you won't be with us next year Hayako." Shou said a little sadly, but cheerful that his friend was getting such an incredible opportunity.

"Yeah, you should have heard Professor Chronos when he found out; Ms. Maeda," Hayako said in her best Professor Chronos impression, "that someone like you will be in a position to influence Duel Monsters for years to come, shall demonstrate to the world that even the bottom of the barrel of Duel Academia, is still a lofty ideal to climb to." Hayako then resumed speaking in her own voice. "I thought I was going to faint."

"All right everyone," Asuka said, clapping her hands together to gather everyone's attention, "Everything is ready and looks great, but I have just one thing to say before we start to eat." Everyone looked up at Asuka, waiting patiently. "This year we've done a lot; we've done things that we can be truly proud of, and we've done things that we wouldn't have thought possible of us, good and bad. So no matter what happens in the future, remember this year that we overcame together, and know that there's nothing that can stand in our way. That said, let's eat!"

* * *

It was the evening; every last bite that had been brought to the picnic had been eaten, and everyone had returned to their rooms to prepare for the end of year ceremony the next day. Except for Judai and Asuka; they stood across from each other, their duel discs armed and ready.

"Well Asuka, this is it; the score is even right now, but after this duel it won't be." Asuka nodded.

"That's right Judai. I've seen what you can do with Kuriboh, but that was just a freebie; if you want to summon that kind of power again, then you're going to have to defeat me for real. No tournament, no contest, just the two of us." Judai smiled.

"I wouldn't have it any other way Asuka." Then, sensing the moment was right, the two duelists called out together.

"LET'S DUEL!"

* * *

**Author's Notes:** "Hey, did you just rip off the ending to the battle city arc from the original Yugioh?" said the voice from out of nowhere. "Yeah, so?" I respond, standing my ground. "Isn't that against the rules?" I see where the voice is going with this, and I smile. "Screw the rules, I have creative license!"

Now that that's out of the way, I've a few things that I want to say now that I've finally finished this story: first, I would like to thank everyone who took the time to review: Danni Lea, thunderbird, Infinite Freedom, datenchi, hermione494, Hero Slayer, Orpheus Thanatos Messiah, rebellious-punk-ZapPanther, Person-san, HikariNoTenshi-San, avearia, frenziedpanda7, DueLingNinJaGirl, wolfboy32, Nasha Rei-Kun, and gr8azngrl, you all reassured me that my story was being read and received. I'll be honest, I would have kept on posting this story even if no one reviewed, favorite-d, or subscribed. This is because this is a story I wanted to tell, and I felt that it was important that I do so.

Second, I want to go into why I made some of the decisions I did in this story; for example, Judai uses the Elemental Heroes from the manga as opposed to the anime, because this is the easiest way to step away from the Judai from the anime, who quite frankly has so much poorly developed baggage that rather then try to make that work, I instead decided to build off a version of him who is much more evenly developed. But there's another decision I made that might be more prominent for most readers; the gender-bending. Simply put, the gender politics of the anime are simply appaling, and while the manga improved on them considerably, they are still problematic, and that is due to one simple fact; the smurfette principle. While I quite obviously made sure that half of my original characters would be male and half would be female, the fact of the matter remained that the core cast still left Asuka as the only significant female character. Even giving Junko and Momoe better screentime and development was not going to be sufficient, so I decided to change three boys into girls; Hayako and Samejima were two of them, and while Hayako's development changed considerably due to this change in gender, Samejima was more or less the same. Which is fine, since gender difference will not automatically radically alter a person.

But for Kaiser Ryoko, things were a little different; while on the surface she is the same character as her male counterpart in the manga, the fact is is that there are differences in the ways a person's are interpreted and understood depending on their gender. The aloof big brother, when performed by a big sister, becomes something very different. Tall, dark, and bishoujo, Ryoko's position as the number one duelist in Duel Academia slowly but surely breeds resentment that her male counterpart simply did not have to deal with. Take a look at Shonen anime and manga in general, and yugioh gx in particular, and even in those cases where the women are not being screwed over by the narrative, it plainly remains the case that they are never as strong as the men get. Having a woman be the strongest directly challenges this, even if only in fanfiction. This is also why I improved on the dueling abilities of the other girls in the story.

And speaking of giving the girls greater dueling abilities, the reason I gave Asuka the Kuriboh card should be clear, but I'll go ahead and say it here; it was expressly to give her narrative importance on par with Judai. This is also why all the main characters gained duel spirits in the course of the story; thus, Judai does not bear the burden of being the only super special awesome sparkly duelist in the series.

Moving off of that for the time being, I'd like to discuss my use of the Eight Phases from the .Hack games as the driving theme for the shadow duelists. Simply put, one thing that annoyed me in both the manga and in the anime was the quick tendency to overlook the school itself as a source of conflict and instead bringing in outsiders. This was done very poorly in the anime's seven star assassins, and somewhat better in the manga with the american branch students, but I wanted the focus to be on Duel Academia itself. I wanted to focus on the students, to look at what sort of conflicts and turmoils they might experience, and how these could be exploited by someone who was in a position of trust. But back to the Eight Phases themselves; they provided me with a guiding theme not merely for who would appear in what order and what they would do, they also helped me to come up with the overall plot of the story itself. So yeah, this was I went with this as my guiding theme.

Oh, and Professor Daitokuji became an out-and-out villain in my story; quite frankly I found his continued presence on the anime after his reveal/death to be really problematic; first of all, he's dead, and in Yugioh, the only reason a dead guy has for sticking around is if he's got unfinished business on the order of finishing off the demon god of darkness that he sacrificed his name to seal, or becoming part of that demon god of darkness. But more then that, no one in the anime seems to really care what happened to all the other students who disappeared at the abandoned dorm, and that was just plain dumb to me. So this time, Daitokuji gets called out for what he does, and Kaiba will ensure that he is suitably punished for what he's done.

Well, that takes care of everything I wanted to talk about. I have a simple request I'd like to make; I am interested in putting together Omake, or bonus, scenes. And I would like to take requests for what kind of scenes people would like to see. They can be anything, from crack to serious and everything in between. Oh, and if you have any questions that you would like to ask, if there are any plot, character, or narrative points that you would like clarified, feel free to ask away.

That said, I am already hard at work on the sequel to this story, Year Two The Trial of Light. It will take a while, but once it is ready I will begin posting chapters at the same steady pace that I did for this story. I hope that the next story will be met with as much positive reception as this one has.


End file.
